(The Associated Press circulated the following on March 5.)
MECCA, Calif. — Dozens of residents who were forced from their homes after a train derailment spewed toxic fumes into the air could have to stay away for several days, a fire official said Wednesday.
Crews were struggling to remove the 29 train cars that derailed Monday night in the desert about 140 miles east of Los Angeles. One leaked phosphoric acid and another may have leaked hydrochloric acid, said Union Pacific spokesman James Barnes.
Officials still hadn’t drained all the toxic acid from several toppled tankers, said Riverside County fire Capt. Fernando Herrera.
“There’s at least another three more (tankers) that need to be offloaded, and as long as that continues, we can’t let anyone back in,” he said. “It’s moving, but it’s slow.”
The leaks appear to have stopped, and crews were pouring soil over acid pooled on the ground, Herrera said.
Sixty residents in the rural agricultural area evacuated from about 40 homes after the 65-car train derailed. No injuries were reported, and the cause was under investigation.
Some farmers in the agricultural area were being allowed in under escort to water their crops, Herrera said.
Resident Ernest Lo said he was awakened by firefighters the night of the derailment.
“They were shouting, ‘Leave here right away! There’s poison in the air!'” Lo said. “We grabbed our wallets and left.”
Herrera said Union Pacific was putting people forced to leave their homes in hotels. A shelter that was set up immediately after the accident has closed.
Acute short-term inhalation of hydrochloric acid can cause eye, nose, and respiratory tract inflammation, and a buildup of fluid in the lungs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The train was heading from West Colton to El Centro when it went off the tracks. About 2,000 feet of rail were damaged and 25 trains were delayed, with some routed through Salt Lake City.