Benzene Spill Forces Thousands To Evacuate -- Train Wreck Dumps Chemical In Wisconsin

SUPERIOR, Wis. - Thousands of residents in two states were evacuated today after 14 cars of a freight train derailed on a bridge and one fell into a river, spilling the flammable and toxic chemical benzene.

Authorities ordered evacuation of downtown Duluth, a city of 85,000, and about 150 National Guard members were called out in the two states.

"We're saying if you can smell it, you should seek higher ground," said Duluth police Lt. Donetta Wickstrom, estimating the evacuation area in his city could cover as many as 30,000 people. Officer Peggy Johnson said about 2,000 people in two neighborhoods had been evacuated.

Traffic jams formed as residents moved north out of low-lying areas of Duluth, witnesses said. Downtown Duluth was deserted, and Interstate 35 heading into the city was closed.

Superior police officer Chris Moe said only the east end of that town of 27,000 people was evacuated, but declined to estimate the number of people involved. Residents were asked to leave if they lived within a mile of either side of the river.

Officials were not sure how much benzene spilled into the Nemadji River, which flows into Superior Bay and then into Lake Superior. But a huge, white cloud hung over the harbor that separates Superior and Duluth at the western end of the lake, at Wisconsin's northwest corner.

Benzene is a flammable liquid used as a solvent and in making plastics and other products.

At least 15 people were treated at hospitals in Duluth and Superior as a result of the spill, including four nursing home patients who were admitted.

Thirteen cars of a 57-car Burlington Northern freight train derailed on a bridge over the river along state Highway 35 just after 2:30 a.m. That highway and U.S. 2 and 53 were closed. A 26,000-gallon tank car went into the river.

"The cause of the incident is under investigation," said Roger Campbell, spokesman from the railroad's corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Coast Guard placed two floating containment booms across the river to prevent the benzene from spreading, said Lt. Doug Miller in Duluth.

Benzene does not mix with water and must be removed mechanically or left to evaporate, Capt. Richard Pukema said.