St. Louis, IL Derailment
Sep 21, 2004

Federal Agencies looking into East St. Louis Tanker Fire

Two federal agencies have begun an investigation into a railroad tanker car fire that led to the evacuation of about 200 people last week in East St. Louis. The Federal Railroad Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will look into the four-car derailment and explosion that rocked East St. Louis on September 21st. One of the tankers spilled 30-thousand gallons of a highly flammable liquid called vinyl acetate. A spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration says the investigation will probably take at least two months.