Train derailment sends oil tanker into West Virginia river

A train carrying more than 100 tankers of crude oil derailed in southern West Virginia on Monday, sending at least one into the Kanawha River, igniting at least 14 tankers and sparking a house fire, officials said.

One person was being treated for potential inhalation issues, but no other injuries were reported, according to a news release from CSX, the train company. Nearby residents were told to evacuate as state emergency response and environmental officials headed to the scene about 30 miles southeast of Charleston.

West Virginia Public Safety spokesman Lawrence Messina said the tanker was leaking crude oil into the Kanawha River.

James Bennett, 911 coordinator for Fayette County, said a couple hundred families were evacuated as a precaution. Adena village, a neighborhood close to the derailment, was evacuated after one residence caught fire and was destroyed when a train car slammed into a house and burst into flames. Messina said local emergency responders were having trouble getting to the house and did not know if anyone was inside.

The rail company acknowledged the derailment on its Twitter page.

The fire continued burning along a hillside Monday evening, and small fires could be seen on the river.

David McClung said he felt the heat from one of the explosions at his home about a half mile up the hill.

His brother in law was outside at the time of the derailment and heard a loud crack below along the riverfront, then went inside to summon McClung, his wife and their son.

One of the explosions that followed sent a fireball at least 300 feet into the air, McClung said.

"We felt the heat, I can tell you that," McClung said. "It was a little scary. It was like an atomic bomb went off."

The office of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, which has issued a state of emergency, said the tanker cars were loaded with Bakken crude from North Dakota and headed to Yorktown, Va.

Local emergency officials said all but two of the 109 cars being hauled were tanker cars.

Kanawha County Manager Jennifer Sayre told the Charleston Gazette that at least 14 tank cars were reported to be on fire, and some cars have exploded. She added that there is burning oil on the Kanawha River.

Messina said at least one and possibly more tanker cars went into the river and that two water treatment plants have been shut down to prevent oil from getting into the water supply. Residents were told they will continue to have water for the next 6 to 8 hours due to an emergency reserve supply. The plant serves about 2,000 customers.

The U.S. Transportation Department is weighing tougher safety regulations for rail shipments of crude, which can ignite and result in huge fireballs.

The state was under a winter storm warning and getting heavy snowfall at times, with as much as 5 inches in some places. It's not clear if the weather had anything to do with the crash.

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