A car on a CSX train carrying a flammable and toxic substance derailed and caught fire in eastern Tennessee, prompting the evacuation of thousands in the area.
Blount County Fire Department Lt. Johnny Leatherwood said a call about the train derailment came in Wednesday night at 11:50 p.m. EDT in Maryville, according to the Associated Press.
The CSX train was traveling from Cincinnati to Waycross, Ga. and consisted of two locomotives, 45 loaded rail cars carrying mixed freight and 12 empty rail cars, company spokeswoman Kristin Seay told NBC News.
The train was carrying acrylonitrile, which authorities describe as a "highly flammable and toxic gas." Acrylonitrile is used to manufacture of acrylic fibers and, if inhaled in high levels, can cause membrane irritation, headaches, nausea and kidney irritation, according to the EPA.
Seven officers had to be hospitalized after breathing in fumes, Blount County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Marian O'Briant said in a statement.
About 5000 people over a two-mile radius were evacuated as a result of the fire. Furthermore, several businesses and a manufacturing plant needed to be evacuated and closed down because of their proximity to the derailment, SF Gate reported.
Two shelters have been opened for residents who were displaced because of the incident, according to David Kitchen, senior disaster program Manager for the Tennessee Volunteer Region of the Red Cross.
The fire was still burning at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, Blount County firefighter Kermit Easterling said.
This is the third incident of a train being derailed since May. An Amtrak train in Philadelphia was derailed in May and a train in Texas got derailed in June and fell on a highway.
No fatalities have been reported from the incident.
