EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The strength of the East Palestine community is showing, Ohio Director of Public Safety Andy Wilson said Tuesday.

“This is a community where folks take care of each other,” he said in his remarks.

Wilson spoke during an afternoon press briefing at the elementary school regarding the recent train derailment and fire, relaying that Gov. Mike DeWine is continuing to monitor the situation and sent his thanks to the first responders who have been working so hard since Friday night to keep members of the community safe.

DeWine was in town Monday after meeting with all the emergency personnel and agencies working on handling the aftermath and announced the decision for a controlled release of the vinyl chloride as the best alternative to a deadly explosion if the chemical acted on its own.

Norfolk Southern said Monday night that the operation worked as expected. The controlled detonation sent a large plume of smoke and fire into the air initially, but gave them the ability to control the situation and let the fire burn itself out under supervision.

Scott Deutsch of Norfolk Southern on Tuesday said thanks to the first responders and East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick first, then said the fire pit was out and all five cars carrying vinyl chloride had burned out.

At that time, he said four of the cars were cleared from the wreckage and crews 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.

Both he and Environmental Protection Agency spokesman James Justice said they were continuing to monitor the air. On Tuesday morning when contacted, Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency Director Peggy Clark said the results were good. Justice said before people can return, they’ll be monitoring the air inside basements of businesses, checking surfaces and monitoring the air outside to ensure everything is safe.

For Drabick, that’s what his concern has been since Friday night, the safety of the citizens. He said they’re waiting for the experts to say everything is safe before they tell residents they can return.

“I want nothing more than to get my residents back home,” Drabick said during the afternoon press 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 the analysis takes time.

He thanked the village residents for their patience and understanding.

When members of the 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.”

Wilson talked about the fact that there were no injuries during the derailment or the controlled detonation, saying it’s a great testament to the strength of the emergency responders who reacted so quickly to get the resources into the danger zone. He said it’s also a statement to experts in emergency planning and coordination, to the scientists and experts giving the decision makers the information they need.

He said it’s a positive statement of strength of the community, saying “that just goes a long way in showing how strong this community is.”

East Palestine Strong according to the logo on the East Palestine Information social media page.

Wilson thanked all the agencies helping, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Norfolk Southern, OEPA, U.S. EPA and Ohio Department of Health.

Other speakers at the press conference included OEPA spokesman Mike Eberle talking about efforts to contain contamination and monitor the waterways to the Ohio River.

Ohio National Guard Adjunct Gen. John C. Harris talked about the response by members of the 135th MP Company out of Chagrin Falls helping local law enforcement with traffic control and the 52nd Civil Support Team out of Columbus helping with specialized technical support, such as the building of mapping and helping with air monitoring. He said they’re also helping the Ohio Department of Health at the onsite testing labs.