A burning train in Ohio sent flames and black plumes of smoke into the sky on Monday after engineers performed a ‘controlled release’ of toxic chemicals onboard.

The dangerous fire was started on Friday night, when a freight train derailed near a fuel depot on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

The train was carrying about 100 cars, 20 of which contained hazardous materials.

After burning through the weekend, officials made the tough decision to conduct the controlled release as the fire inched closer to the cars carrying vinyl chloride.

Flames erupt after chemicals are ignited in the controlled release (Picture: AP)

Authorities began evacuating residents of East Palestine, Ohio on Sunday, but ramped up efforts on Monday after the decision was made.

‘You need to leave. You just need to leave. This is a matter of life and death,’ Ohio Governor Mike DeWine told residents of the small town. About half of the town of 4,800 people were evacuated to shelters set up nearby.

The explosion released hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the atmosphere. Phosgene is a particularly dangerous gas that was once used as a weapon on European battlefields during World War I.

The alternative, officials said, was letting the cars continue to burn – which would eventually lead to an explosion that Governor DeWine called ‘potentially catastrophic.’

Instead, engineers used remote charges to create small holes in the cars. The toxic chemicals flowed out of their tanks into ditches dug by first responders, which were lined with flares.

A black pillar of smoke rises over the town of East Palestine (Picture: AP)

The flares ignited the chemicals, creating a huge pillar of flames and smoke above the burning train. The ensuing reaction could be seen by locals miles away from the crash site.

Evacuated residents are still barred from returning to their homes, and authorities have warned others in a larger 2-mile radius against leaving or opening windows.

‘Thus far, no concerning readings have been detected,’ Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said about three hours after the controlled release. It is unclear when the operation will be finished and the last of the chemicals burned off.

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The explosion released hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a gas used as a chemical weapon in World War I.