| Comments | At 1:11pm (local) on September 23rd, 26 freight cars derailed near Key River, ON, and adjacent to Little Key River. Of the several cars that derailed, one containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and another containing anhydrous ammonia ruptured, leaked, and ignited. Only a few minutes later (1:48pm), another tank car loaded with LPG exploded. In total, 127,000 pounds of LPG and 158,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia were released - most of which burned. A police office, 2 firefighters and a woodcutter were exposed to ammonia vapours and suffered minor injuries. Although no evacuation of nearby communities was needed, 3 local woodcutters and 2 hunters were evacuated from the area. Within 2 days, containment dams were installed up- and downstream of the derailment site. After 36 hours of rain, the containment dams breached on September 30th, and un-ionized ammonia was leaked into the river. High levels of contaminants persisted for 12 hours, and dead minnows were observed on October 2nd. |