140 Injured as 17,000 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 caused minor injuries to more than 140 people and forced evacuation of more than 17,000.

Most of those reporting to hospitals in the area around this southern Dayton suburb complained of shortness of breath and burning eyes from inhaling the white phosphorus fumes.

Nine people were admitted, hospital spokesmen said, but Miamisburg Development Director Ron Parker said none was believed to be seriously injured.

Evacuation Centers

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

Pat Madigan, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said several tankers, one of them carrying the poisonous chemical, derailed at the Miamisburg-West Carrollton line near the busy Dixie Highway.

Fire officials said the flames had diminished by 9 p.m., 4 1/2 hours after the accident, but most residents still were not being permitted to return to their homes.

Incendiary Component

White phosphorus is used in rat poison, incendiaries, fireworks and luminescent coatings.

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

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.

Parker said 10,000 people were evacuated from the northern part of Miamisburg, about 3,000 from West Carrollton and 3,500 from Moraine. About 1,000 people were evacuated in Jefferson Township, Police Officer Walter Hetzel said.

“We feel fairly confident that there will be no additional evacuations,” said Mike Grauwelman, Miamisburg city planner.