A Union Pacific tanker car leaked nitric acid near Arkansas 367 between Beebe and McRae Monday morning, forcing evacuations and closing the highway for more than two hours, according to several sources.
Around 10 a.m., several people reported seeing a railcar travelling on the Union Pacific track that was creating a chemical cloud.
White County Emergency Management, the White County sheriff’s office, the Beebe Fire Department, Beebe police and NorthStar EMS, along with Union Pacific teams and others, responded to the situation.
As part of the response, a section of highway was closed from around noon until 2:30 p.m. on Monday, and the surrounding area was evacuated, according to multiple sources including the White County sheriff’s office.
According to the sources, the chemical involved in the incident was nitric acid. It is a colorless liquid with yellow or red fumes and has an acrid odor. Nitric acid is used in the manufacture of fertilizers, dyes and explosives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Exposure to nitric acid can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and mucous membrane; it can also cause delayed pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, bronchitis, and dental erosion,” according to the CDC’s website.
The area where the railcar stopped was rural and included only a few residences, one of which was Dondre Spears’.
Spears, a 25-year-old who lives in McRae, had to evacuate from his home to his grandfather’s house down the road.
“They just said I had to get a mile away and evacuate,” he said. “I saw two (railcars) smoking, though.”
Spears said the two railcars were creating big clouds of smoke. He said he knew it was a chemical leak, but was not alerted about what was burning. He said officials hardly told him anything other than that he had to evacuate.
After evacuating around 10 a.m., Spears returned home around 2:30 p.m. after officials reopened Arkansas 367.
Spears’ uncle, who currently works for the railroad, told him that it must have been bad if it became a hazmat situation. However, he wasn’t too worried since he was able to evacuate in time.
Another affected group was the Beebe High School football team. Justin Bigham, the team’s head football coach, said they were hosting a team camp when they found out that there was a chemical leak nearby.
“There’s a railroad 100 yards from our practice field and 200 yards from our game field. We were on our game field,” he said. “One of our maintenance guys came up and said ‘Hey, we need to clear the field and get everyone evacuated.’”
At first, they thought it was a fire on the train, but soon found out that it was a chemical leak.
“It looked like a dark cloud. Almost like a dust storm from a big truck going down a gravel road,” Bigham said.
After it passed through, everyone who took shelter indoors came back outside. Beebe High School’s athletic director thought it would be best to shut down the team camp after they discovered that it was nitric acid, he said.
“We sent all the teams home … and they shut down the school,” said Bigham.
No one had an adverse reaction to the chemical, according to Bigham. Part of that, he said, was because they got everyone inside promptly.
“You could see it a little bit and you could tell it wasn’t just dust when it came tharough,” he said. “But it was outside. We got out of the way pretty quick.”
The school’s response still wasn’t decided as of Monday evening, according to Bigham.
“They shut down campus today. There’s a School Board meeting later and they’re going to determine from there,” Bigham said.
School is out for summer, but there are still events on campus, Bigham said. School staff has professional development on Wednesday and Thursday this week and there’s a regular football practice on Tuesday, said Bigham.
After Friday, however, begins the Arkansas Athletics Association’s dead period so Beebe football won’t be practicing for a while after Tuesday, he said.
“I don’t think it’ll be an issue. I think everyone is trying to make sure that hey’re cautious and be safe,” Bigham said.
When they evacuated the school, everyone who came on buses was able to leave immediately. In some cases, those leaving on buses had to find an alternate route because of the road closure.
Students who had to be picked up could have presented more issues, but Bigham said it all went smoothly.
Chancey Warden, the public information officer for the White County sheriff’s office, said that deputies were called to assist on the tracks in McRae. His office was told that a railcar container leaked.
Warden said that he had limited knowledge of the accident, but he was able to confirm that evacuation orders were rescinded.
“At first there were going to be evacuations but then they ended up not needing it,” he said.
Some nearby residences, businesses and schools were asked to evacuate, but it wasn’t as extensive as it could have been, according to Warden. One of them was a daycare in McRae.
Tyler Mize, the coordinator of White County Emergency Management, was also part of the first response team.
“Upon the arrival of Union Pacific’s teams, their hazmat teams and other crews, we assisted them with the management of the leaking tanker car,” Mize said.
A significant part of the first responders’ job was to maintain a perimeter and allow crews to work on the car itself, according to Warden.
He added that the leak was a colored vapor cloud and did not catch fire until the train stopped due to track ties that were on fire. Fire teams were able to suppress the flames quickly, however.
Evacuation efforts that happened near the railcar were limited since it was a rural area with very few residences, said Mize.
Meg Siffring, a spokesperson for Union Pacific, said that the leak was contained around 12:30 p.m.
“We are not aware of anyone being transported by EMS from the scene. … An emergency hotline has been set up for anyone impacted by the incident — 1 (877) 877-2567, Option No. 1,” Siffring added.
According to her, air monitoring in McRae Monday afternoon showed normal air conditions. Additionally, the train has been moved, and the cause of the leak remains under investigation, she said.
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