Evacuation order issued after Rockcastle Co. train derailment lifted

ROCKCASTLE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT/AP) - The evacuation order issued after a train derailed in Rockcastle County has been lifted.

Officials announced at a press briefing that the evacuation order was lifted as of 3 p.m. Thursday.

The City of Livingston was ordered to evacuate after the derailment on Wednesday.

Rail operator CSX said Thursday that a chemical fire at the train derailment has been completely extinguished.

CSX spokesperson Bryan Tucker said in a brief email that “the fire is completely out.” He said that authorities and CSX officials are evaluating when to encourage displaced residents to return home, and they will release more information later Thursday.

Governor Beshear declared a state of emergency Thursday evening. The state of emergency allows the state to activate resources, including Kentucky Emergency Management and the Kentucky National Guard, as needed.

Workers scrambled to set up an emergency Red Cross shelter at the Rockcastle County Middle School in Mount Vernon.

Officials tell us that training in the wake of the chemical stockpile response in Madison County was used in quickly turning the middle school gym into an overnight shelter.

The Rockcastle County Sheriff said that the train derailed between Mullins Station and Livingston.

The train is on a CSX line. CSX told us the derailment happened shortly before 2:30 Wednesday afternoon, and at least 15 cars were involved, including two sulfur cars that had been breached and lost some of their contents.

One member of the two-person crew was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Kentucky Emergency Management officials say no one was hospitalized as a result of the derailment.

Officials say firefighting efforts have been successful in eliminating much of the sulfur dioxide that was released into the air as a result of the derailment and subsequent fire.

While volunteers helped to give people the Thanksgiving meal everyone deserves, there were still key questions on the minds of Livingston residents.

“Where are we going to go? What are we going to do?” said Bonnie Reaves, a displaced resident. “I don’t have no clothes. I don’t have my insulin. I don’t have anything.”

In the early morning hours of Thanksgiving, some residents received a wake-up call they were not expecting.

“We get a pounding on our door, and we were like, ‘what’s going on?’ it’s like, ‘well it’s getting really bad, you need to leave’,” said Reaves.

Wednesday evening, a 16-car train north of Livingston, Ky., derailed and caught fire. Two of the impacted cars contained molten sulfur, which, when burned, turned to sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas.

While sulfur dioxide is colorless, the pairing of the gas with the smoke from the fire made it difficult to see past one’s own property line.

“It was almost like a whiteout,” said Reaves. “You couldn’t see three feet in front of your face.”

The result is a Thanksgiving that no one wants to happen.

“Our grandson comes over every morning and sees us,” said Todd Ulloa, a displaced resident.

However, due to the temporary evacuation, Thanksgiving plans changed abruptly.

It’s just heartbreaking that we can’t let him over to our house, and we live nearly across the street. It tears you up. It really does,” said Reaves.

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