AERIAL VIDEO | Ohio train derailment in East Palestine prompts urgent evacuations

With concerns of a potential explosion connected to the train derailment in Columbiana County, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a plan to begin a "controlled release" around 3:30 p.m. Monday.

It comes as Gov. DeWine said the contents of five rail cars are “currently unstable and could potentially explode, causing deadly disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes.”

So how does the controlled release work? Scott Deutsch, an official with the Norfolk Southern Railroad, said it's a process that could take one to three hours.

Deutsch said it begins by creating a small hole in the tank car.

“This will allow the material to come out of the tank car," the official explained. "It will go into a pit and trench that we have dug and set up for this operation. Inside that trench will be flares lining that trench that then will light off the material.”

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