On Feb. 3，a train carrying dangerous chemicals flew off the rails and started a massive fire just outside East Palestine，a small town in Ohio of about 5，000 residents. No injuries or deaths were reported.
The violent fire continued to spread through the weekend and locals said little information was communicated to them until the night of Feb.5，when forced evacuations（撤退） began due to concerns that the train wreck would explode.
The remaining residents in the town crazily packed bags overnight and some were forced to abandon beloved pets. One woman left town a day early because her youngest son's "eyes turned red as tomato and he was coughing a lot，"after the train derailed（脱轨）.
On Wednesday，two days after the controlled burning and five days after the derailment，officials lifted evacuation orders and told residents they could return to their homes. Authorities said air and water samples had been analyzed and came back normal. Investigators say the train derailed because of a broken axle（车轴）：
As some residents began to come back into town，unfortunately，they reported strange smells and dead animals. People were also surprised and worried by the sounds of passing trains，already running through the village again so soon after the accident. A couple who live about five miles from where the train derailed spotted hundreds of dead fish. Other people reported dead chickens and shared social media photos of dead dogs and foxes in the area.
An official declared chemicals had entered the waterways and-killed fish but the drinking water was safe.
And yet，some East Palestine locals are choosing not to return home，and questioning whether it will ever be safe to do so. Some residents took to social media with doubts about the handling of the accident and whether they can trust what officials are telling them about the safety of the town.
Lately，a dangerous materials expert said that residents shouldn't be allowed back into the evacuation zone，so soon following the controlled burning. He thought that 5 to 20 years down the line locals may see many people will suffer cancer.
