On February 3, 2023, just before 9:00 PM, approximately 38 cars of a Norfolk Southern Railway Company (Norfolk Southern) train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Eleven cars carried hazardous chemicals even though the train was not officially classified as a hazardous material train, which would have required the railroad to post and display notification of its cargo. Five of the cars carried the carcinogen vinyl chloride, which concerned company officials after the crash because of its unstable nature and potential combustibility. To reduce the risk of a shrapnel explosion, the company advised a controlled burn of vinyl chloride.
In preparation for the burn off, residents were evacuated from a one by two-mile area which included portions of Ohio and Pennsylvania on orders from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Read the full story here ▶
