A freight train derailed Wednesday afternoon in the central US and the sulfur it was carrying caught fire, prompting Kentucky authorities to urge residents to evacuate the area on the eve of Thanksgiving.

The train derailed near the village of Livingston and “at least 16 carriages were involved” in the accident. Two of them, which contained liquid sulfur, opened and some of their contents spilled out and caught fire, railroad company CSX said in a statement.

“When liquid sulfur burns, it releases sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere,” a substance dangerous to both humans and the environment.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency in the area to mobilize all available resources, he announced. “Local officials are urging residents of Livingston to evacuate the area,” he added.

CSX also urged residents who are “concerned for their safety” to leave and find temporary lodging in hotels about 9 miles away, at their own expense.

Thanksgiving is a holiday in the US and families usually gather to eat the traditional turkey. “I panicked, we’re cooking right now, I’ve got the turkeys in the oven. We can’t leave,” said a resident of the community, Linda Todd, speaking to the local CBS channel late Wednesday night. Eventually Todd fled to a nearby school building.

In March, a train carrying chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic and highly flammable substance used in the production of plastics, derailed in Ohio. Due to the fire that was caused and the fears of a possible explosion, 2,000 people were then removed from their homes.