Residents within a one-mile radius of a truck crash in Tucson, Arizona, were ordered to shelter in place on Tuesday afternoon after the vehicle spilled a load of nitric acid.

Both directions of Interstate 10 near Kolb Road were closed as first responders mitigated the situation, according to a report from KGUN-TV. The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality is determining whether the radius for the shelter in place order should be expanded.

“The Department’s Hazardous Materials Response Unit, along with partner agencies, are working together to mitigate the incident,” Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson Raul Garcia Jr. said in a statement to the Arizona Republic. “Out of an abundance of caution, first responders are working to evacuate a perimeter around the area of the incident.”

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said on social media that the agency expects an “extensive closure” and asked residents to “avoid the area.”

Nitric acid is a “colorless liquid with yellow or red fumes with an acrid odor,” according to a report from the CDC, and is used to manufacture fertilizers, dyes, and explosives. Exposure to the highly corrosive substance can cause “irritation to the eyes, skin, and mucous membrane,” as well as “delayed pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, bronchitis, and dental erosion.” Images shared by the Tucson Fire Department indeed appeared to show yellow and red fumes emanating from the crash site.

The incident in Arizona follows a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where a malfunctioning axle on a Norfolk Southern train caused the vehicle to crash and leak volatile industrial chemicals. Local and state authorities evacuated all residents within one mile of the February 3 crash and started a controlled burn of the chemicals to decrease the risk of an explosion. Vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic material, was released from five train cars in the form of massive plumes of dark smoke visible throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

Emergency personnel and citizens who did not evacuate the area are enduring symptoms such as sore throats, coughing, headaches, and diarrhea in the days following the controlled burn, according to one first responder interviewed by The Daily Wire on Tuesday afternoon. Residents were told they could safely return to their homes less than one week after the controlled burn.

Beyond the release of vinyl chloride, Norfolk Southern warned the EPA that a number of other volatile industrial chemicals were spilled at the derailment site. One train car containing ethylene glycol monobutyl ether currently has an “unknown status,” according to Norfolk Southern, while the amount of ethylhexyl acrylate in another car is still “pending.”

Another train containing hazardous materials derailed on Monday morning near Splendora, Texas, after a semi-truck collided with the vehicle. Union Pacific spokesperson Robynn Tysver confirmed with The Daily Wire that the company sent a hazardous material crew to examine the crashed train, which was carrying products such as paint and aerosol cans intended for retail. Although the train spilled 100 gallons of diesel fuel, none of the chemical substances were released. The derailment is presently under investigation; the semi-truck driver passed away, while crew members of the train did not experience any injuries.

Lawmakers and government officials have called for investigations in response to the Ohio train derailment. The United States has witnessed nearly 55,000 train derailments since 1975, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, including more than 1,000 derailments in 2021 alone.

Legacy media networks ABC, CBS, and NBC have spent less than 30 combined minutes covering the Norfolk Southern train derailment that has throttled East Palestine, Ohio, and threatened the health of millions living in the Ohio River Basin.

Local and state authorities evacuated all residents within one mile of the February 3 crash and started a controlled burn of leaked industrial chemicals to decrease the risk of an explosion. Vinyl chloride, a carcinogen used to manufacture PVC, was released from five train cars in the form of massive plumes of dark smoke visible in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

Analysts from the Media Research Center examined all broadcast coverage of the incident between February 4 and February 14; the conservative nonprofit concluded that the three major networks “fell just shy of a combined 30 minutes” on the matter. CBS devoted 9 minutes and 53 seconds of total airtime to the scandal, while ABC had 9 minutes and 31 seconds, followed by NBC with 8 minutes and 52 seconds.

East Palestine citizens were told they could return safely to their homes less than one week after the controlled burn; residents and first responders have since reported worrisome health issues such as coughing, sore throats, headaches, and diarrhea. The outlets nevertheless refused to continue reporting on the story: CBS offered 1 minute and 4 seconds of additional coverage, while NBC offered 38 seconds and ABC ceased reporting on the incident entirely.

“Rather than healthy skepticism, reporters approached statements by Norfolk Southern and the Ohio EPA, both of whom had a blatant incentive to downplay the seriousness of the situation, with slavish credulity,” analysts at the Media Research Center wrote. “Perhaps this explains why they haven’t gone back to the story: because they abandoned it too early before asking any meaningful questions. For the broadcast networks to revisit East Palestine now would be to admit that their prior abandonment of it was an error born out of laziness and a lack of curiosity.”

The organization also noted that Columbiana County, Ohio, is more than 93% white and largely conservative. Some 72% of residents cast their ballots for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election cycle, according to data from the Columbiana County Board of Elections.

The Media Research Center commended CNN, PBS, Fox News, MSNBC, and NewsNation for providing updates on the crash. NewsNation correspondent Evan Lambert was arrested during a press conference with Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH); the outlet has nevertheless “continued to diligently cover the situation.” Reporters, however, have failed to note the absence of leadership from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who addressed the crisis on social media more than one week after the initial crash following pressure from Democrats and Republicans.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) likewise noted during an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson that legacy media outlets have devoted minimal attention to the crisis. He asserted that they are already prone to neglecting the problems faced by middle America, adding that many reporters are unwilling to question government agencies about the scope of the disaster.

“I think that the entire country, the media complex, the leaders of this country, have decided to disregard the people of East Palestine,” he said. “If you look at the way that this story has been covered, if it’s been covered at all, it’s about how there are poor people in East Palestine who have been victimized by this disaster. Well of course that’s true, but you want journalists asking tough questions about what’s going on.”