It was shortly before three in the morning when Columbus resident Johnnie Rouse awoke to a loud boom.

“It was two booms, a great big one and a second one.  And I laid down and my daughter said, “Mama, Mama, get up, get up, get up, a train’s exploding….you’ve got to get out.’”

When Rouse went downstairs, she heard police on loud public address systems, telling everyone to immediately evacuate their homes.  She quickly found something to cover her nightgown and went outside.

“The sky lit up like the sun had fallen or something, …  just these great big fire, flames, you’d see the tree leaves glistening. …  I was really scared.”

'A big boom, then orange' 
Rouse wasn’t the only one who was scared.  Daquita Bias was too. She was startled as she lay in bed, texting a friend, in the middle of the night.

“All I heard was a big boom and then orange.  And then my Mom jumped up, and it made me scared.  Then she said, ‘Oh my God, something’s on fire.’  …  And then I looked out and flames were everywhere.

Joel Priester lives two blocks from the spot where the Norfolk Southern train derailed.

“I saw flames and then I heard a very large sound like a boom and then the flames shot even higher.  It looked like the sun had exploded so to speak.”

Evaucation
People who live nearby said there was a strong smell in the air as they evacuated from the one-mile radius around the site near the Ohio State Fairgrounds.  Buses from the Central Ohio Transit Authority picked up the 100 evacuees. 

Some of the displaced residents met family or friends, but about 50 went to a temporary shelter at the Ohio State Fairgrounds where Red Cross volunteers and employees were waiting.  Ron Hakes, the regional emergency services director, said the shelter was meeting the needs of evacuees.

“We have food inside for them, we have clothing inside for them, and we are going to be feeding them.  We have coffee.  We have all of the things that they need right now.”

As Joel Preister sat at the shelter with his dog, he explained that he got a pair of shoes from the Red Cross because he had left his house barefoot. And a nurse was on hand to help people like Johnnie Rouse.

“I don’t know if I’m getting short of breath because I have asthma or if it’s something in the air.”

Problems extending well beyond the vicinity
While some people reported minor breathing problems, Assistant Columbus Fire Chief Dave Whiting said there were only two injuries and they did not appear to be serious. Both victims transported themselves to the hospital.

But Whiting said businesses within the one mile radius of the site found their plans were disrupted.

“It certainly inconveniences a lot of people.  It certainly has an impact on the economy and getting to work.”

Many regular bus riders found themselves stranded because the Central Ohio Transit Authority couldn’t get to one of its major garages.  The company operated on a limited Sunday schedule.  And the trash hauler, Rumpke, couldn’t pick up trash and recyclables so service in several communities had to be delayed for a day.

Johnnie Rouse summed up what a lot of people were thinking. “I guess it could have been worse.  I’m glad it’s not.”