Dozens Injured as 15,000 Flee Fumes in Ohio

A railroad tank car carrying a chemical used in rat poison derailed and caught fire Tuesday, releasing a 1,000-foot-high cloud that injured dozens and forced the evacuation of 10,000 to 15,000 people, officials said.

Most of the injured reporting to hospitals complained of shortness of breath and burning eyes from inhaling the white phosphorus fumes. There were no reports of serious injuries.

Ed Kovar, Miami Valley Disaster Services director, warned residents to stay indoors and close their windows. Kovar said that evacuation centers were being set up at schools.

Several Tankers Derail

Pat Madigan, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said that several tankers, one of them carrying the poisonous chemical, derailed at the Miamisburg-West Carrollton line near the busy Dixie Highway. She said the tanker carrying the leaking chemical was burning during the early evening.

She identified white phosphorus as a chemical used in rat poison.

Madigan said the fumes can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and can burn the skin and eyes on contact. In sufficient concentrations, the fumes can be fatal, she said.

Ignites at 86 degrees

According to the National Fire Protection code, phosphorus ignites at 86 degrees in contact with the air. The temperature at the time of the derailment was about 90 degrees, authorities said.

Madigan said residents of the north part of Miamisburg, the city of Moraine and part of West Carrollton had been evacuated. She said a wind shift could lead to additional evacuations, including residents of Kettering, Dayton’s most populous suburb.

Miamisburg Fire Chief Robert Menker said his units were preparing to deluge the burning tank car with water, which is the only way to put out a phosphorus fire.

‘Water in the Cloud’

“We’re going to try to get some water in the cloud to get it down somewhat,” Menker said.