Blanchard Valley Co-op lost farm equipment and had the outside of two buildings scorched, but was described as very lucky to escape without any further serious losses from an intense fire that erupted nearby when 31 ethanol cars derailed just west of Arcadia, Ohio, early Feb. 6 on a Norfolk Southern freight train. Luckily, a 30,000 gallon anhydrous ammonia tank on the Blanchard Valley property 100 to 200 yards away from the scene was untouched. “Initially we had some concerns for the tank while the fire was burning out of control,” Operations Manager Jim Boger told Green Markets. “But we didn’t even have to keep it wet down.”
The explosions and burning ethanol lit up the sky for miles, causing evacuation of nearby families but no injuries. A Norfolk Southern spokesman said there were no fertilizer cars on the Chicago-to-North Carolina train. He said the tracks were reopened late Monday night and trains were moving through the area at 10 miles per hour because of wreckage remaining on either side of the tracks. By Tuesday all fires had been put out. Both U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA were on the scene to make sure no contamination had reached area waterways.
Boger, who has been meeting with insurance adjusters and safety advisers, said losses were in an out-of-season storage area where trucks, trailers, nurse wagons, applicators, and other farm equipment are parked. So far, the losses include 13 ammonia application tanks, 11 twenty-eight-percent applicators, 37 liquid fertilizer nurse wagons, and other equipment sitting in the yard. “No dollar figure has been set on the loss and only time will tell just how much it is,” Boger reported. “We also lost one nurse truck and there was external damage to a chemical and seed warehouse and an equipment warehouse.”
Agronomy Manager Mike Tobe described the scene this way: “It was a cloud of fire and no doubt very intense. The train derailed just east of our facilities and the cars piled up, and as they piled up they began to explode and catch fire and exploded onto our property. It burned up equipment that’s outside and did some exterior damage to some of the buildings.” Tobe added that railroad people have been on the scene to help with the cleanup.
Garry Valentine, director of the Hancock County emergency management system, said Blanchard was “very, very lucky” not to have experienced some severe losses. “They had two buildings scorched, along with several empty ammonia nurse tanks that were destroyed by the fire,” Valentine reported. He said he was pleased with the railroad’s response and cleanup programs, and indicated the Federal Railroad Administration will report on the cause of the derailment in a few months.
Norfolk Southern spokesman Rudy Husband promised the railroad “will be working with Blanchard and make sure they’re made whole.” He said a claims department had been set up to handle the situation.