Firefighting units from throughout Tallahatchie County and beyond battled a chemical fire that began Saturday afternoon and blazed deep into the night, sending thick black smoke billowing high into the sky at the scene of a freight train derailment near Glendora.
Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency Director Thad Roberts said he has received reports that a tanker car on the Canadian National Railway train may have exploded, whether before or during the derailment.
"There are 13 [train] cars off the tracks," Roberts noted.
Roberts said the flaming tanker contained "benzene benzol," a highly flammable and carcinogenic liquid.
Residents of the nearby Village of Glendora were ordered to evacuate shortly after the derailment.
Ashley Michnowski, a spokesperson for CN, noted in an emailed statement that the derailment occurred "at 2:47 p.m. local time," noting that "a number of rail cars are derailed in various positions." She said "no injuries" have been reported, adding that CN crews are at the scene with local first responders.
Asked about the number of railroad cars on the freight train, as well as the train's point of origination and destination, Michnowski referred all questions to the incident's lead investigative agency, the National Transportation Safety Board.
Many displaced Glendora citizens were sent to a temporary shelter established at the Webb Volunteer Fire Department, site of a former National Guard armory,
"I heard a boom!" said one Glendora woman at the facility who asked not to be identified.
About 30 minutes after the big boom, local fire and police units began going door to door telling Glendora residents to evacuate, added another woman.
As of 9 p.m., residents had not been allowed to return to their homes.
At the scene, Glendora Mayor Johnny B. Thomas said the incident seemed reminiscent of a 1973 train derailment and explosion that also occurred near the village.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Glendora had a population of 154 in 2020.
