Evacuation order lifted for residents near Ohio train derailment

Officials on Wednesday informed residents they could return to their homes about five days after a toxic 50-car train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border forced evacuations.

Authorities made the announcement lifting the evacuation order at a press conference Wednesday evening in East Palestine, Ohio. East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick said that air and water samples determined that the evacuation area, which covered about a one-mile radius, was safe for residents. 

“The evacuation order has been lifted, if you were asked to evacuate your residence due to the incident in East Palestine, you are permitted to return home. Please return in a safe and orderly manner,” Beaver County Emergency Services tweeted Wednesday. 

On Feb. 3. about 50 cars derailed in East Palestine as a train was carrying a variety of freight from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, rail operator Norfolk Southern said. No injuries were reported. 

On Feb. 4, officials issued evacuation orders to hundreds of nearby residents due to the release of toxic chemicals from five of the derailed tanker cars. On Feb. 5, authorities warned residents who had declined to evacuate to do so because of the danger of a potential explosion. 

Crews slowly released vinyl chloride from the five rail cars into a trough that was then ignited, creating a large plume above the village of East Palestine. Authorities had been closely monitoring the air quality in the evacuation area.

Environmental Protection Agency official James Justice told reporters Tuesday night that EPA investigators had so far been seeing “very few detections,” of dangerous chemical fumes. 

“And the detections we have been seeing for the chemicals we’re monitoring for have been very low,” Justice said. 

National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Railroad Administration are investigating the incident.