East Palestine Train Derailment: As residents return, questions remain about the future
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (KDKA) - Just over a week ago, a massive train derailment and chemical fire broke out in East Palestine, Ohio.
While no one was injured, many are left with fear and concerns.
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As families return to their home, many questions still remain as to how this could've happened and where the community goes from here.
For those residents, it will be a week they will never forget. A train derailment, a toxic chemical fire, evacuations, and a state of emergency.
Now that the visual scars are being cleaned up, the question remains, where do they go from here?
A week ago, a 50-car train carrying vinyl chloride derailed, causing a chemical fire.
Emergency crews from three states responded, a mandatory evacuation was issued, and the town found itself in shock.
On Monday, Governor Mike DeWine looked on and he along with with other officials decided the safest way to get back to safety was to do a controlled burn and release of an unstable chemical car.
What followed was a fire and smoke plume like something out of a movie.
Then on Wednesday, the EPA and other local and state officials lifted the evacuation order and residents began returning to their homes. However, Facebook groups such as the City of East Palestine, Ohio are full of neighbors still asking questions and expressing concerns about their safety, the safety of the community, and the lasting effects of a chemical fire in their community.
While the NTSB investigation as to what led to the crash is still ongoing, and a preliminary report won't be available for several months, new videos of the train before the derailment shows sparks flying around the axles of several train cars some 20 miles outside of town.
That is causing many to question the safety standards and practices of Norfolk Southern.
For now, life is slowly attempting to get back to normal in a tight-knit Ohio community with questions hanging over those who live there.
