| OTTAWA – People living
in Maxville, Ont., are being told not to drink
water from their wells after a train car leaked
60,000 litres of ethanol in the area.
Ontario's
Environment Ministry made the order on Monday,
hours after the leak caused a state of emergency
that forced about 200 people from their homes.
Analysts will test well water samples to
see if the ethanol contaminated groundwater in
the community about 70 kilometres east of
Ottawa.
Residents will have to drink bottled
water until the test results are back.
That could take several days.
Highly flammable ethanol or combustion
alcohol began spilling from a freight car just
after 1:45 a.m. ET Monday, forcing evacuation of
the Maxville Manor nursing home. The 120
residents took refuge in the banquet hall of the
local sportsplex until the all-clear was given.
The spill also caused Via Rail to cancel
its Montreal-Ottawa train service for several
hours. Passengers were transported to their
destinations by bus instead.
"A freight train from the Ottawa Central
Railway sideswiped another car that had
[combustion] alcohol in it," said Via Rail
Canada spokesperson Seychelle Harding.
Environment Canada, the fire department
and the Ontario Provincial Police worked to
neutralize the liquid.
OPP spokesperson Joel Dorion said the
surrounding area was evacuated "for emergency
and precautionary reasons."
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