As many as 19 tanker cars caught fire and then began burning out of control. One house was totally burnt down and people were evacuated for a one-mile diameter.
Because there were so many cars filled with oil, fire crews just let the fires burn. At one point, the cars were igniting about 30 minutes apart. At least one train car fell into the Kanawha River, and oil leaked into the river.
No one was killed by the train wreck, and the train crew was able to disconnect the engines and walk away. The only injury was one person who suffered from smoke inhalation.
Other oil trains have also recently derailed and caught fire. One had even occurred just two days before this accident.
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Source: http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/02/17/train-carrying-3-million-gallons-of-crude-still-burning
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Graphics: Mine
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Keywords: train, derailed, oil, burning, West Virginia, Mount Carbon