240,000 Forced to Flee Chlorine Released in Canadian Rail Wreck
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A set of wheels that tore loose from a car in a 106-car Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) freight train set in motion North America’s largest peacetime emergency operation.
CPR train 54 originated in the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario, and at Chatham, 51 cars were added, including propane and chlorine tank cars. About 2 miles from the derailment site in Mississauga, just west of Toronto, an axle bearing overheated. The axle seized up and broke, hurling a set of wheels into a yard along the tracks. As the eastbound train neared Mavis Road, 25 cars derailed. Nineteen of these cars contained hazardous chemicals, chlorine, propane, caustic soda, toluene and styrene.
The first of five explosions occurred at 11:53 p.m. last Nov. 10, a Saturday, and the light from the explosion was seen at Mississauga Fire Department Headquarters, Station 1 at Highway No. 10 and Fairview Road. A deafening roar was heard and shock wave ripples were felt at the station.
Disaster plan activated
The Fire Fighters immediately put into action the disaster plan that Mississauga Fire Chief Gordon Bentley had recently formulated.
Just before fire fighters arrived, another explosion sent flames and about 70 of the 90 tons of chlorine in a tank car high in the air. This blast was so powerful that one half of the propane tank car rocketed 2300 feet through trees and buried itself 20 feet into the ground. The shock waves traveled along the ground for over 2200 feet and destroyed buildings, trucks and telephone poles.
As Fire Fighters began stretching lines, several more explosions occurred that sent the fire fighters for cover and knocked some of them off their feet.
Deluge sets used
The job of controlling the flames and cooling the propane and chlorine tank cars that were leaking began by first using 2 1/2-inch hand lines and then moving to master streams from 12 deluge guns set up around the perimeter of the wreck.
At 1:30 a.m. Sunday, the First evacuation order was given to move 6000 people out of their homes on the west and south sides of the site. This was accomplished by police and ambulance personnel driving through the affected area and warning people through the vehicle public address systems.
At the same time, the Provincial Ambulance Coordination Center ordered all off-duty ambulance personnel in the Toronto area back to work. Region of Peel Police Chief Doug Borrows ordered all off-duty policemen to return to work and also asked for assistance from Metro Toronto, Ontario Provincial and Royal Canadian Mounted Police to help evacuate and secure the area.
Evacuation affects 240,000
During the next two days, the evacuation area was expanded seven times to include more than 240,000 residents and an area of over 20 square miles. “The train,” as they were called over the next week, were moved to hospitals, nursing homes, shopping centers, schools, churches, service clubs and private homes that volunteered space.
The Mississauga Fire Department committed most of its companies to the derailment, and other fire departments offered assistance. The Etobicoke Fire Department, on the east side of Mississauga, sent companies to fill in at some of the vacant fire stations and Etobicoke Chief Bryon Mitchell responded to Mississauga Fire Headquarters to help coordinate communications.
Toronto Star Syndicate photo
Wide World Photos
Toronto International Airport sent a crash truck, but it was not used because of the intensity of the flames and the decision to control the fire rather than put it out. Other fire departments, such as Toronto and Oakville, sent spare breathing apparatus and bottles, and the Brampton Fire Department sent its fuel truck. The Oakville Fire Department answered alarms in the west end of Mississauga.
In response to Bentley’s request, a Chlorine Emergency Plan team responded. This is a group of experts from the chlorine industry that responds to any incident anywhere in Canada involving chlorine.
Patch attempted
By Monday, the propane flames were low enough to allow workers to put a steel patch on the chlorine tanker so the remaining chlorine could be off-loaded to tank trucks. However, the heat and stress caused the railroad tank car sides to huckle so much that a good seal could not be made.
The “think tank” of experts at the scene decided on Tuesday, November 13, that the danger had subsided enough to allow residents on the outer fringe of the evacuation area to return to their homes.
Workers continued on Wednesday to remove parts of the derailed tank and and box cars that did not interfere with the chlorine tanker. With the propane tanker fire out, the remaining propane was transferred to a tanker truck.
On Thursday, five days after the derailment, the chlorine danger continued. Eight fire fighters checking hose lines and deluge guns stumbled on a pocket of chlorine and were taken to a hospital. All were released in a few days in good condition.
Air cushions hold patch
Later that day, a patch was devised by using inflatable air cushions between the chlorine tanker and the steel patch, which was held down by pieces of wood. Then the entire car was wrapped with chains to secure the patch. The air cushions were inflated successfully and a start was made to off-load the remaining 20 tons of chlorine into tank trucks, which contained neutralizing caustic soda.
At daybreak Friday, about 14 tons of chlorine had been removed and just after 3 p.m., 90,000 of the remaining 120,000 residents were allowed to return to their homes. But because 6 tons of chlorine were still in the tank car, the other residents had to stay clear of the area. At 7:30 p.m. the remaining evacuees were permitted to go home.
The command post was on Mavis Road, a quarter of a mile north of the derailment site.
On Wednesday, Nov. 21, the last fire apparatus left the scene after more than 250 hours of continued service by the Mississauga Fire Department.
There were no deaths and only minor injuries in the 11-day operation that included the evacuation of more than 250,000 persons from the area.
