Until 2 February it was business as usual in the small rural community of East Palestine, Ohio. The next day it all went up in flames. “Train derailment sparks massive fire, prompts evacuations,” read the headlines. “Videos show major fire raging after tanker train derails.”
The derailment of a 50-car freight train carrying toxic materials shattered daily life in East Palestine. Potentially lethal chemicals spewed into the air, ground and water.