Evacuations Underway Friday After 18 Train Cars Derail Near Petal MS ‘Denatured Alcohol’

PETAL, MS. (THECOUNT) — A major train derailment involving at least 18 cars near Petal, Mississippi, has forced the evacuation of area residents Friday morning.

The derailment occurred around midnight.

Petal Police Chief Matthew Hiatt said 18 cars came off the tracks near the intersection of Central Avenue and U.S. Highway 11.

Hiatt said several of the cars overturned and are leaking denatured alcohol, reports WLOX.

While the chemical does not pose an immediate threat, according to Hiatt, several homes in the area have been evacuated as a precaution.

Petal Police Department has opened a temporary shelter the Petal Civic Center.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has been called in to assess the scene.

First responders have set up a perimeter around the derailment, closing Highway 11 and several roads in Petal.

Denatured alcohol is used as a solvent and as fuel for alcohol burners and camping stoves. Because of the diversity of industrial uses for denatured alcohol, hundreds of additives and denaturing methods have been used. The main additive has traditionally been 10% methanol, methyl alcohol, giving rise to the term “methylated spirits”. Other typical additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and methyl isobutyl ketone, wikipedia.

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Geo quick facts: Petal is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, along the Leaf River. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,454 in the 2010 census – Wikipedia.