By Kris Maher
Fires from a train carrying crude oil that derailed along a
river in West Virginia continued to burn Tuesday morning, as
evacuated residents sought shelter nearby and state officials tried
to determine whether downstream drinking-water systems had been
affected.
A CSX Corp. train with more than 100 tanker cars en route from
North Dakota to Yorktown, Va., derailed Monday afternoon along the
Kanawha River about 30 miles outside the state capital of
Charleston, causing explosions that sent fireballs hundreds of feet
into the air, burned at least one home and sent crude oil into the
river.
Gary Sease, a CSX spokesman, said Tuesday that the fires would
be allowed to burn out on their own. He said the cause of the
accident, which occurred during a winter storm and amid frigid
temperatures, is under investigation.
State officials initially said at least one tanker car had
fallen into the river, but early Tuesday they said that no longer
appeared to be the case. Mr. Sease also said Tuesday the company
didn't currently believe any cars had fallen into the river.
State police evacuated hundreds of residents of a community
called Adena Village near Mt. Carbon, W.Va. State health officials
and West Virginia American Water had shut the intakes for two water
systems that serve several thousand customers as a precaution, and
were assessing when those water systems could be reopened.
Write to Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com
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