COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A man who lives near the scene of a fiery train derailment in Ohio says "it looked like the sun exploded."
Flames shot high into the night sky after part of a freight train carrying ethanol derailed in Columbus.
It happened in an industrial area just blocks from residential neighborhoods southeast of the Ohio State University campus.
The accident prompted authorities to evacuate a mile-wide area. About 50 evacuees were at an American Red Cross aid site set up at the state fairgrounds.
Officials say two people who ran toward the scene before the explosion were injured but were able to take themselves to a hospital.
Norfolk Southern says it appears about 11 of the train's 98 freight cars derailed.
Fire officials say three of the burning cars were tankers carrying ethanol. After viewing the scene in daylight, authorities decided to let the fire burn out instead of trying to extinguish it.
%@AP Links
098-a-10-(Chris Mumma (MOO'-muh), photographer who witnessed the fire, in AP interview)-"out of there"-Chris Mumma, who witnessed the fire, says he decided to move away from the fire when he realized he could have been seriously hurt. ((cut contains the word 'hell')) (11 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *098 (07/11/12)>> 00:10 "out of there"
097-a-03-(Chris Mumma (MOO'-muh), photographer, who witnessed the fire, in AP interview)-"in the air"-Chris Mumma, who witnessed the fire, says the fumes made him sick and a friend took him to the hospital. (11 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *097 (07/11/12)>> 00:03 "in the air"
096-a-04-(Chris Mumma (MOO'-muh), photographer who witnessed the fire, in AP interview)-"30-foot flames"-Chris Mumma, who witnessed the fire, describes what he saw. (11 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *096 (07/11/12)>> 00:04 "30-foot flames"
092-a-10-(Battalion Chief Michael Fowler, PIO, Columbus, Ohio Fire Department, in AP interview)-"around 100 people"-Battalion Chief Michael Fowler of the Columbus fire department says people living near the scene have been evacuated. (11 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *092 (07/11/12)>> 00:10 "around 100 people"
090-a-11-(Battalion Chief Michael Fowler, PIO, Columbus, Ohio Fire Department, in AP interview)-"to the hospital"-Battalion Chief Michael Fowler of the Columbus fire department says there have been two injuries.((watch for dating)) (11 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *090 (07/11/12)>> 00:11 "to the hospital"
APPHOTO PAJL102: Flames rise from a derailed freight train early Wednesday July 11, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. Part of a freight train derailed and caught fire in Ohio's capital city early Wednesday, shooting flames skyward into the darkness and prompting the evacuation of a mile-wide area as firefighters and hazardous materials crews worked to determine what was burning and contain the blaze.(AP Photo/Chris Mumma) (1 Jan 2000)
<<APPHOTO PAJL102 (01/01/00)>>
