(CBS) — As many as 5,000 people were ordered to evacuate early Thursday after one to three freight train cars carrying a highly flammable and toxic substance derailed in Marysville, Tennessee, outside Knoxville, and one of the cars caught fire, authorities told CBS News.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office said people in a one-to-two mile radius were heading to a Red Cross shelter set up in a local high school. They were first sent to an area mall, before the number of evacuees quickly grew.
It may be 24-48 hours until people are allowed back to their homes and businesses in the evacuated area, reports CBS Knoxville affiliate WVLT-TV.
Seven law enforcement officers were taken to a hospital for treatment of the effects of fumes, the sheriff’s office said.
The substance, acrylonitrile, is used to make plastics, among other things, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
