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. 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. Gary Sease, a spokesman for CSX Corp. CSX, -0.22% , which operated the train, said one person was being treated for “potential inhalation� but that no other injuries were reported. He said the company was working with the Red Cross and other relief organizations to address the needs of residents who had been evacuated, including providing shelter amid unusually cold temperatures. The train consisted of two locomotives and 109 rail cars and was traveling to Yorktown, Va., from North Dakota, Mr. Sease said. He said the company was working to help put out the fire, determine how many cars had derailed and deploy environmental monitoring, including in the river.

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