EAST PALESTINE — Residents still can’t go home, with East Palestine fire Chief Keith Drabick saying they’re waiting for the experts to say everything is safe before they give the all-clear.

“I want nothing more than to get my residents back home,” Drabick said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference, adding that includes his family.

He wants it to be safe for everyone and to make sure everything associated with the train derailment and the controlled release is safe, not just from the vinyl chloride, but all the contents on the train and the resulting smoke and fire.

He said analysis takes time, and he thanked village residents for their patience.

When members of the news media continued to ask the question about when people can go home, he stressed: “If I could give you an estimate, I would so gladly do that. Safety is paramount.”

Other speakers at the news conference included representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency OEPA, the Ohio National Guard, Norfolk Southern Railway and Ohio Director of Public Safety Andy Wilson.

Scott Deutsch of Norfolk Southern said the fire has been put out, and all five cars carrying vinyl chloride are no longer burning.

He said four of the cars are cleared from the wreckage, and they were working to get to the fifth car clear. Then those cars will be inspected by the National Transportation Safety Board before being cut up and removed.

“Everything is safety-based,” he said.

The investigation into the cause rests with the NTSB, with a preliminary report not expected for four to six weeks.

Federal investigators say, however, they believe a mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the derailment.

mgreier@mojonews.com