Burn-off of toxics in Ohio derailment was unnecessary, NTSB investigators say [Video]

Norfolk Southern’s decision to release and burn toxic chemicals from five derailed train cars last year in East Palestine, Ohio, was not necessary and stemmed from a misinterpretation of the risk by the railway and its contractors, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Tuesday at the board’s final meeting on the derailment.

The agency’s findings offer the most authoritative timeline yet on the decisions that caused a giant toxic plume to rise above the Ohio town in early 2023, alarming residents and triggering a national debate about rail safety and the government’s response.

After a fire following the derailment heated up five tank cars, the railway and its contractors – concerned that one of the cars could explode – disregarded the fact that the car’s temperature began dropping, which should have signaled that the danger was waning, NTSB investigator Paul L. Stancil said.

They also failed to provide the local fire chief and other officials with …