Apparently some freight cars, some carrying hazardous material rolled from Clark county(Ky) to north of Irvine,Ky and collided with a sitting CSX coal train.It hit the engiines and chemical in tank car exploded. Happened near the old Southeast coal company’s coal wash. They evacuated the surrounding area. If the cars rolled from Winchester, junction with Cincy-Corbin main, the cars rolled over 20 miles before hitting engines. No injuries were reported so far. Happened before noon as tv crews from Lexington weren’t there at beginning of newscast at noon, but got there around 12:30.
Here is the WKYT news report as of 1:28PM. Posted picture from news report:
"Two trains wrecked near Irvine this morning causing a derailment, fire, and a Hazmat situation.
There are no reports of injuries at this time. However, a plume of noxious gas is said to be moving northeast in the area. Residents are being old that anyone living on Dry Branch Road, Dry Ridge Road, White Oak Road or North Irvine are being to told to evacuate immediately.
Everyone else is asked to stay indoors, turn off ventilation systems, and seal doors and windows.
Buddy Rogers with Kentucky Emergency Management confirms one rail car is on fire. They say the car contains the chemical Butyl Acetate. Emergency Management and State Fire Marshall’s officials are on the way.
It all started when four cars got loose from the CSX Corporation train yard in Winchester and rolled towards Irvine where another train was leaving. The two collided and derailed. There are reports that hazardous chemicals were on board the train and that the car is now on fire. There are some reports that the cars are leaking chemicals.
One 27 Newsfirst viewer has reported that the fire has spread to a nearby building .
Fire officials say the fire is located next to Carhartt Plant in Irvine.
We have multiple crews on the scene and will bring you the latest as it becomes available."
Maybe Carl Prine is right about the lax procedures that railroads use when handling hazmat materials.
hmm doesnt look good for csx.just what they dont need.
stay safe
Joe
Placed locomotives to stop the cars??? Why not use them to back up to match the speed of the tankcars and stop them that way? If that would not have worked why not take up a rail or something of that nature? What locomotives were used to stop the cars, anyone know?
Uhhh, where is your information coming from that they used those locomotives to stop the cars?!?! Everything I’ve seen/heard (albeit somewhat meager) the locos were parked!!
I understood that they were on another train,getting ready to leave where they were.
What bothers me is the Byutal Acetate in the cars is used as an industrial solvent AND an ingrediant in artificial fruit flavoring.Mmmmm…Yummy…
CSX dispatched a couple locos coupled to a coal hopper or two. They were sent from Ravenna yard which is only about 2 miles away. The loco crew went to safety when freight cars got near. They will be some explaining to do by the crew that this happened to.
Besides that, they stopped the cars near the Carhartt plant and the hospital (about 1 mile away). My niece is a nurse there and they could smell the fumes pretty good.
If the news reports are correct, the four runaway cars were originally on a siding. They got away on the siding and then entered the main track. So, why wasn’t the derail set? And who forgot to set it?
There are a few things to keep in mind. Most reporters know little to nothing about trains or chemistry, so there may be significant errors. I have heard the cars hit a parked train.
Butyl acetate (CH3COOC4H9) is an ester (R-COOC-R’) and may be relatively safe aside from being flammable but may form toxic chemicals when it burns, or it could be that the evacuations were a precaution or were because of some other chemical, I would have to check to know for sure. “Natural occuring esters are used extensively in the fragance industry to add fruity, floral, and herbal odors to foods, cosmetics, and medicines” from page 619 of Chemistry, The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change by Martin Silberberg.
Calm down, I misunderstood…
Ericsp is right when saying, “Most reporters know little to nothing about trains or chemistry, so there may be significant errors.”
I noticed while watching Lex 18’s report of this inccident they said it was a CSX train but that map they showed across the TV had the trackage labeled as the Seaboard System. Doesn’t surprise me since many maps show Norfolk Southern running through the Blue Grass of KY as Southern, CSX as Seaboard System, and RJ Coreman trackage from Lexington to Frankfort as CSX.
You’re right about reporters not being too bright about railroads or chemistry. But all it takes is a little research. You’re also right about the maps. I was at topozone recently and the names of the railroad owner can change along the same line many times.
I’m very “Calm”,was only asking a question.