AKIPRESS.COM - A train carrying crude oil derailed and burst into a fireball in rural West Virginia on Monday, forcing residents to evacuate and sending oil leaking into a river, the U.S, media report.

At least one tanker car, and possibly more, fell into the Kanawha River, some 30 miles from the state capital of Charleston. That prompted concerns about potential contamination of water-treatment facilities that serve two small downstream communities, according to Lawrence Messina, a spokesman for the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety.

At least 14 tankers caught fire, according to Jennifer Sayre, Kanawha County manager.

Lt. Michael Baylous, a spokesman for the state police, said residents within a half mile of the scene, in Mount Carbon, were told to evacuate until further notice. A shelter had been set up at a nearby elementary school. He said the train caught fire before destroying a nearby home.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency in Fayette County and neighboring Kanawha County Monday evening, saying he was doing so to ensure that affected residents had access to any resources they might need.