EUNICE, La. - Almost all of the 3,000 people who were rushed from their homes after a chemical-carrying train derailed and exploded last weekend were allowed to return Thursday afternoon.
Only a few dozen families were still kept out of their houses while the cleanup continued, and police hoped that some might be able to return on Friday, state Trooper Chris Guillory said.
More than one-quarter of the town's 11,000 residents have been living in hotel rooms and friends' houses since Saturday, when 34 cars of the 113-car Union Pacific train hauling hazardous chemicals derailed. One exploded near a country club at the edge of town.
No one was injured, but fireballs lit up the sky and the nearby woods caught fire. Officials feared other explosions could create more danger for residents and evacuated people as far as two miles away.
Soot and ash still covered cars and lawn furniture in parts of the evacuation area Thursday, but washing them with soap and water will make them safe to use, Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said.