DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A newly obtained video showing a glow from the underside of a train car about 20 miles before the derailment site in East Palestine has raised further questions over the details of the incident.
The video of the fiery axle was captured by a security camera at Butech Bliss, an industrial equipment company in Salem, Ohio, as it traveled east past the business.
A company representative said the video was captured at 8:12 p.m. on Feb. 3, which was about 43 minutes before a Norfolk Southern train went off the tracks in East Palestine at 8:55 p.m.
Early reports said the derailment caused a large fire that prompted authorities to order evacuations and carry out a controlled release of toxic chemicals that were being transported. However, the footage from Butech Bliss indicates that a fire may have broken out on the train prior to the derailment.
In a press conference a day after the derailment, on Feb. 4, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Michael Graham said twenty of the train cars contained hazardous materials, 10 of which derailed. Five of those derailed cars were carrying vinyl chloride.
On Monday, Feb. 13, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was continuing to screen homes in the area for vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride.
By Sunday, 291 homes have been screened and no vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride had been detected, the EPA said. Another 181 homes remained to be screened, according to the agency.
