A train carrying crude oil from North Dakota to Virginia derailed on Monday in West Virginia, setting a number of tanker cars on fire and potentially polluting a nearby river. State and federal officials continue the clean up operations and have begun an investigation into the accident.

At around 1:20 p.m. a CSX Corp. train hauling 109 cars containing crude oil derailed on Feb. 16 near one of the Kanawha River's tributaries, according to The Associated Press. Smoke could still be seen billowing from the crash site Tuesday morning, a local station said.

The crash caused around 14-17 cars carrying oil to catch fire or explode, and officials evacuated hundreds of families from the area.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency in Kanawha and Fayette counties and said this will help provide the affected counties with all the resources needed during the crisis.

"State officials are on site and will continue to work with local and federal officials, as well as CSX representatives, throughout the incident," Gov. Tomblin said in the statement.

A statement from CSX explained the company is working with local officials and first responders to investigate the derailment, determine the extent of the damage, and "deploy environmental protective measures and monitoring" the area around Kanawha River.

The company has also set up shelters with the Red Cross for residents who were evacuated as the state continues to experience severe winter conditions. CSX also reported one person was being treated for potential inhalation.

As a precaution, West Virginia American Water has shut down the Montgomery water treatment plant as a precaution as the company and state officials investigate the extent of the potential spill, the company said on Facebook.

"We are awaiting confirmation from DEP and emergency responders as to whether or not crude oil migrated into the Kanawha River from Armstrong Creek, which is the tributary impacted by the derailment," the statement read, adding it would restart the plant if no sign of contamination was found.

According to Reuters, one or two of the cars fell into the river, said Robert Jelacic of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Bloomberg reports officials from the Federal Railroad Administration and Chief Safety Officer Robert Lauby were on their way to the scene. Investigators from the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration have already reached the site.

This is the second crash involving a CSX train carrying oil in ten months. Federal regulators have been proposing a plan to thicken the shells of tanker cars to nine-sixteenths of an inch from seven-sixteenths of an inch.

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