A cargo train derailed in the midwestern United States, sparking a massive fire and evacuation orders, officials and reports said Saturday
No injuries or fatalities were reported after the 50-car train came off the tracks late Friday near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border
The train was shipping cargo from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, when it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio
Several explosions were heard as the cars continued to burn into Saturday, according to local media
Low temperatures hampered the effort, as fire trucks pumping water froze up
Officials said the train was carrying the chemical vinyl chloride, NBC’s local affiliate WFMJ-TV reported
Firefighters wore hazmat suits as they tackled the blaze
Roughly 2,000 residents — about half of the town’s population — were asked by authorities to evacuate their homes
Officials asked anyone living within a one-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius of the scene to leave. They also enforced a shelter-in-place order for the entire town
“We cannot stress enough that we need everyone to stay away from the scene,” East Palestine’s town manager wrote in a letter posted on Facebook
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