News

One Year Ago:
Sunday, October 15, 2006 1:12 PM CDT

A Cloud of Fear: Federal board to deliver report on train derailment, deadly explosions

By LORI DUNN
Texarkana Gazette

By AARON BRAND
Texarkana Gazette

A report is due Tuesday about the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into a Union Pacific train derailment that occurred one year ago today in Texarkana, Ark.

The derailment sparked a series of chemical explosions that killed a woman, consumed houses and vehicles and sent hundreds of College Hill residents fleeing from their homes.

NTSB staff will present their findings to a four-member board during a meeting beginning on Tuesday morning, said Terry Williams, an NTSB spokesman.

“That’s going to be part of our board meeting and at that time we will have a probable cause for that accident,” said Williams. After staff present their findings, board members vote on the probable cause.

Williams said the NTSB’s mission is to make transportation safer and that while they do make recommendations the board does not have enforcement authority. He said approximately 80 percent of the board’s recommendations are adopted.

The incident happened shortly after 5 a.m. on Oct.15, 2005, when a Union Pacific freight train—traveling from Chicago to Laredo, Texas—struck the back of a stopped Union Pacific chemical train, which was on its way to Harlingen, Texas. The impact caused the cars to bump into each other in an accordion effect.

The propylene car, which was about the 11th or 12th car on the train, ruptured and released compressed liquid propylene, which gave off fumes and vapors. Officials believe that as the vapors spread they found a point of ignition at a nearby house on Jackson Street, causing the house to explode.

The propylene car, which was about the 11th or 12th car on the train, ruptured and released compressed liquid propylene, which gave off fumes and vapors. Officials believe that as the vapors spread they found a point of ignition at a nearby house on Jackson Street, causing the house to explode.

The blast was then carried immediately back to the ruptured tank car—causing a second and more massive explosion. Three to four smaller explosions followed and two other homes caught fire and burned.

It was in one of those homes that the fatality was reported. The victim was later identified as 61-year-old Pearlie Mae Marshall.

Automobiles and two 18-wheelers in the area also burned in addition to a railway trestle and small wooden bridge.

Seven people went to the hospital with a variety of symptoms, including respiratory problems.

Since the cloud of smoke was potentially toxic, police evacuated about 300 residents, primarily from the Carmichael Hill and College Hill neighborhoods, to the Four States Fairgrounds. Many evacuees fled in their night clothes, taking only their pets and medications.

Officials originally feared the spill involved vinyl acetate. It was determined to be propylene after some flyover observations.

Propylene is highly flammable and is used in the production of petrochemicals. The health risks are minimal, so the evacuation was called off between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. as much of the propylene began to burn off.

Most local law enforcement and civic leaders praised the response of emergency officials and the cooperation of the local departments.

“It did go very smoothly ... everybody checked their egos at the door,” said Texarkana Emergency Management Director Dave Hall.

Hall said previous training among numerous agencies helped the response effort tremendously.

“We have been aware for many years there was a possibility of a train derailment in the railroad yard,” he said.

Hall said the only real problem responders encountered that morning was finding out what type of chemical caused the fire.

“All chemicals burn different ... there was an hour or two we didn’t know what we were dealing with and we had to make some decisions based on gut and luckily we made the right ones,” he sad.

Hall said in the past year, emergency officials have been working with the railroads in hopes of setting up some type of e-mail system that could quickly notify responders as to what type of chemicals are on the train

“We have wireless capabilities in the field and it would give us a lot of help. You can never have too much information,” Hall said.

Hall is hopeful the implementation of the new CodeRED system in Texarkana will be helpful in case of future emergencies.

Residents who register with CodeRED will be notified by telephone in the event of an emergency.

“It’s going to be a valuable tool for us. The derailment was part of the push to get that system in place,” Hall said.

The CodeRED system can even narrow calls down to a particular block, which will be extremely helpful in case of future evacuations, he said.

Numerous lawsuits have been filed in the past year as a result of the derailment and are still pending.