U.S.

Toxic Train Derails In Kansas

September 2, 1998 / 12:31 PM EDT / AP

The small south-central Kansas town of Hazelton was evacuated Wednesday after four cars carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and three caught fire about 6:30 a.m.

No one was hurt in the derailment, said Diana Corbett, an employee at the Harper County Sheriff's office.

The train was carrying nitric acid, alcohol, sodium hydroxide solution, and isopropyl palmitate, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company officials said.

Of those substances, fumes from the nitric acid could pose the greatest threat to people living near the crash, because nitric acid is harmful to the skin and eyes, University of Kansas chemistry professor John Landgrebe said.

About 200 people were evacuated from Hazelton, which is in adjoining Barber County, several miles southwest of the accident. Officials also evacuated residents in a 5-7 mile radius surrounding Hazelton.

Andrew Kuhr, who works at the OK Co-op in Hazelton, said there was a cloud drifting toward Sharon, near Hazelton.

"I work in Hazelton. I went there, and the whole town is shut down," Kuhr said. "Shortly before I left town, you could taste it. It was sort of a bitter bite on the tongue. It didn't seem serious, but I could tell I shouldn't be breathing it."

Four cars derailed. One was upright and the three burning cars were overturned in a ditch, according to the railroad statement.

The four derailed cars had been separated from the rest of the train.

The sheriff's office sent deputies from door to door, made phone calls, and used CB radios to evacuate the residents, Corbett said.

A hazardous materials team from Salina was expected to arrive, a dispatcher with the sheriff's office said.

The sodium hydroxide, if it is in a concentrated form, is similar to lye in that can cause severe burns if it comes in direct contact with skin in a concentrated form, Landgrebe said.

The isopropyl palmitate is wax-like and not highly toxic. And the alcohol is be the most likely of the chemicals listed to be fueling the fire, he added.

Corbett said residents were sent either to the municipal halls in nearby Anthony and Kiowah.

The train was traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles. The main line was expected to be blocked for at least 24 hours and eastbound trains were being rerouted.