Toxic Fear in Baltimore After Train Wreck
July 19, 2001 -- All roads into Baltimore were closed temporarily after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in a tunnel near the city's downtown area Wednesday afternoon, sparking a blaze that firefighters are still unable to approach.
"They've not been able to get into the tunnel," said Bob Murrow, spokesman for the Baltimore Department of Public Works.
On Wednesday afternoon, the city's civil defense sirens screamed for the first time in 50 years. City officials shut portions of the city's bustling downtown area, including roads, highways, the commuter rail and the Inner Harbor, and urged residents to stay inside.
"We don't know what's involved in this particular fire," said Baltimore Fire Department battalion chief Hector Torres. "It's possible that hazardous material may still be involved and even though the smoke is lightening, we can still have toxins in that smoke."
An evening baseball game at Camden Yards was postponed by the accident.
Downtown Baltimore Remains Shut
While most major roads were reopened by 11 p.m. Wednesday, parts of the downtown area closest to the tunnel remain closed, and may be through the morning commute and possibly beyond as firefighters have been unable to get close enough to the blaze to battle it effectively.
Fire officials said the fire is too thick and hot inside the tunnel, and have turned to thermal imagining equipment for help determining just where in the 1 ½-mile tunnel the train is located. Officials said they expected to be battling the fire through the morning.
However, a water main break nearby may be helping.
"We think that the heat from the fire actually caused the water line to break," said Kurt Colker of the Baltimore Department of Public Works. "We decided to continue to let the water flow because it was helping fight the fire."
City Dwellers Told to Stay Inside
Torres said there were no evacuations, but people were being urged to stay inside — and shut off any ventilation systems to prevent potentially hazardous smoke from invading homes.
Eight tankers in the 60-car CSX train were carrying potentially toxic chemicals, including hydrochloric acid and fluorosilicic acid, which when inhaled can burn the lungs.
So far, city officials say, there are no signs of toxins reaching the air.
Two of the 125 firefighters brought to the scene were taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pains. They were in stable condition. No other injuries have been reported.
The cause of the accident is not yet known. CSX spokesman Rob Gould told The Associated Press the two-man crew stopped the train in the tunnel when they detected a problem. They got out, saw smoke, uncoupled the three locomotives — standard procedure during such accidents — and drove out of the tunnel, he said.
Orioles-Rangers Game Postponed; Players, Staff Evacuated
Wednesday night's baseball game was to be the second in a day-night doubleheader between the Orioles and the Texas Rangers. The game had been rescheduled for today, making for another day-night doubleheader, but at least the day game has already been postponed, with no decision yet on the evening half of the bill.
The Associated Press reported that firefighters have set up their command post near Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and officials are unsure how long they will be there.
Camden Yards is about a mile from the tunnel. Fans attending the earlier game on Wednesday had already left when the accident occurred, and fans hoping to see the night game had not yet arrived.
Players and employees were evacuated from the complex. ABCNEWS' Robb Hanrahan, Linda Foy and Jerry Coleman in Baltimore, ABCNEWS affiliate WBAL in Baltimore and ABC Radio contributed to this report.