Officials: Threat from chemical-laden rail car reduced

PERRIS, Calif. (AP) — Evacuations were reduced and a major Southern California freeway was reopened after authorities determined that a rail tank car filled with an overheated chemical was no longer an imminent threat.

Both directions of Interstate 215 in Riverside County, about 57 miles (92 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, and evacuation orders for areas east of the freeway were lifted near midnight Friday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection / Riverside County Fire Department.

Evacuations remained in effect on the west side of the interstate. It was not immediately known how many people remained affected. The original evacuation order involved 170 residences as well as businesses.

The freeway was shut down and homes and businesses in a half-mile radius were evacuated Thursday evening when the tank car filled with styrene emitted a plume that spread over the small city of Perris before dissipating.

The styrene, a chemical used in foam products, had begun boiling and reached a temperature of 323 degrees (161.6 Celsius) before starting to trend downward Friday morning. Authorities feared the tank car could explode.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the reaction. However, the tanker was filled in Texas 50 days ago, and one possibility was that a stabilizing chemical in the tanker had broken down, said fire official Mark Scoville.

The area has a mix of businesses and large plots of undeveloped land between the city of Perris and March Air Reserve Base.