By Dylan T. Lovan
The Associated Press
 
BROOKS, Ky. — Thick, billowing smoke and flames continued pouring into the sky from at least one ruptured tanker car Wednesday, long after a train derailment spilled flammable chemicals, forcing evacuations and shutting down a highway.

Fire officials had used 2,000 gallons of foam and an "ungodly amount" amount of water to extinguish some of the flames, but other spots will likely have to burn out on their own, expected later Wednesday.

The derailment Tuesday morning caused no serious injuries, but about two dozen people near the crash site south of Louisville had checked themselves into a hospital and were soon released, authorities said. Officials asked residents within a mile to evacuate.

Television footage late Wednesday morning showed at least one small fire continued to burn amid the crumpled mass of rail cars.

"We're hoping that, time frame-wise, by this time tomorrow we can say the fires are out," said Rob Orkies, fire chief of the nearby Zoneton community.

Three other cars will be drained of their cargo of 90,000 gallons of butadiene, a chemical used to make synthetic rubber, so the liquid can be confined to a pit and burned off separately, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said.

The chemicals released when 12 of the train cars derailed were cyclohexane, methyl ethyl ketone, butadiene and alcohol, said Gary Sease, a CSX spokesman.

"These substances themselves are pretty toxic, but when they burn they break down a whole lot," said Jeremey Urekew, a spokesman for Bullitt County Emergency Management. "This fire is going to burn itself out."

Two other cars were carrying hazardous materials that could pose an environmental threat, but they were not near the fire. The train — with four locomotives and 80 cars — was headed to Louisville from Birmingham, Ala.

The crash closed an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 65 for about 11 hours. The Kentucky National Guard said it mobilized 20 to 25 soldiers and airmen to check air quality.

Art Smith of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said officials would continue to monitor the air and that a nearby creek would be sampled and private wells identified for monitoring.

The Red Cross set up a shelter in neighboring Jefferson County for evacuees, but only about a dozen people had checked in, said William Ney, a volunteer.

Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the train's data recorder would be sent to Washington for reading.

The track had been inspected by CSX inspectors on Monday, Rosenker said. Results of toxicology tests performed on the two-man crew were expected within two weeks, he said.

It was the second fiery train crash in Kentucky in two days. On Monday, four runaway rail cars struck two parked locomotives in central Kentucky, catching fire and spilling a chemical that prompted a limited evacuation.