A huge fire outside Baltimore, triggered by the collision of a freight train carrying chemicals and a trash truck, raged for 10 hours before being brought under control, officials said early Wednesday.

A dark, thick plume of smoke could be seen for miles after two of 15 derailed cars from a CSX-owned train caught fire.

The blazing cars were carrying terephthalic acid and fluoroacetic acid, which Baltimore County Fire Chief John Hohman said are not toxic inhalants. However, residents were encouraged to avoid excessive exposure to the smoke.

Patrick Semansky / AP

A fire burns at the site of a CSX freight train derailment Tuesday in White Marsh, Md.

The only person injured in the accident was the driver of the truck, John J. Alban, Jr., 50, who is in serious but stable condition, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz told NBC affiliate WBAL.

Two CSX employees on the train were not injured, according to authorities.

Related: Photos from the crash site

The fire, which began at about 2 p.m. Tuesday, was finally declared to be under control at 11:41 p.m. according to Capt. Bruce Schultz of the Baltimore County Office of the Fire Marshal. He said officers were maintaining a fire watch to monitor any flare-ups or hot spots.

The blast could be felt for miles, and many area residents said they initially thought they were experiencing an earthquake. Witnesses told WBAL that windows were blown out from nearby homes and businesses.

Rosedale resident Elaine Smith told WBAL she felt an explosion. "I really was scared," she said. "I've never seen a cloud like that in my life."

The crash occurred in a mostly industrial section of Rosedale along U.S. 40, in the 7500 block of Lake Drive.

The train was moving southbound when it collided with a waste-hauling truck. The train continued moving for several hundred feet before 15 cars derailed. An explosion quickly followed, sending a huge cloud of black smoke into the air.

Alban is a retired firefighter with the Baltimore County Fire Department, as well as a volunteer at the Hyde Park Volunteer Fire Co, fire officials told reporters.

A National Transportation Safety Board team, led by Robert Sumwalt, will investigate the derailment. 

NBC News' Jay Blackman contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Wed May 29, 2013 6:30 AM EDT

High-speed train service into and from New York City halted by a derailment and collision Friday in Connecticut will resume Tuesday afternoon, Amtrak announced.

Amtrak will resume service between New York and New Haven, Conn., with the departure of Acela Express train 2171, leaving Boston at 3:15 p.m., and Acela Express train 2166 departing New York at 4 p.m.

Sixty people were injured, five of them critically, and rail traffic from New York to Boston was shut down after a Metro-North commuter train derailed and plowed into a second train Friday in Fairfield, Conn.

An eastbound train derailed at 6:10 p.m. ET and struck a westbound train between the Fairfield and Bridgeport stations, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority official told NBC News.

The accident led to the shutdown of service and huge disruption for commuters north and east of New York.

CHICAGO -- A derailment on an Amtrak train from Chicago caused by a mudslide forced passengers to take buses for the last leg of their trip Sunday morning.

No injuries were reported for the train's 86 passengers and 11 crew members on board, however, travelers were forced to finish the last 30 miles of their trip via buses, according to Amtrak officials.

A mudslide, repotedly involving 30 feet of earth, trees and rocks, derailed the last three cars on the Empire Builder near Everett, Wash., around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, officials said.

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The train, uncoupled from the three derailed cars, continued to Mukilteo, Wash., where passengers were transferred to Charter buses.

Crews were working to clear the debris and repair the track, which was expected to reopen Tuesday, and BNSF Railway was investigating the incident.

Andrew Burton / Reuters

Derailed freight train cars leak vinyl chloride, a colorless, organic gas with a sweet odor sit semi-submerged in the waters of Mantua Creek after a train crash, in Paulsboro, N.J., Nov. 30.

Residents were asked to stay inside their homes for hours after emergency and hazmat crews responded to a train derailment and hazardous material spill Friday morning in Gloucester County, N.J. More than two dozen people have been transported to a local hospital with respiratory problems after the incident.

Gloucester Office of Emergency Management confirmed that a Conrail train derailed after the bridge it was traveling on collapsed -- for the second time in a little more than three years -- just after 7 a.m. Friday near Commerce Street in Paulsboro, Gloucester County.

Six of the train's cars were dumped into Mantua Creek. Four of the cars contained vinyl chloride, a colorless, organic gas with a sweet odor. One of the train cars was compromised, releasing about 180,000 pounds of the chemical into the creek, according to Conrail spokesperson John Enright.

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Vinyl chloride is a colorless flammable gas that is used primarily to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. It's heavier than air and can travel along the ground, but it evaporates quickly.

Acute exposure via inhalation in humans can cause dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, and even a loss of consciousness, and it is reported to be slightly irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract, according to a statement from Gloucester County Freeholder Director Robert Damminger. Anyone who thinks they're suffering any symptoms due to exposure is encouraged to seek medical advice.

"The company [Conrail] will offer assistance to residents who sought medical attention," Conrail spokesperson John Enright said. 

Residents were initially told to remain in their homes and local schools were placed on lockdown as emergency officials assessed air quality concerns. At least 28 people were transported from the scene to Underwood Memorial Hospital, all complaining of respiratory problems. Officials confirm that some of the injured are workers from the Paulsboro Marine Terminal. 

“Personal safety is our number one concern,” U.S. Coast Guard Petty officer Nick Ameen told NBC10.

Officials determined at about 11 a.m. that air quality had improved, meaning the situation was under control. However, they cautioned that the next significant threat will be when Conrail attempts to lift the cars out of the water without releasing any more chemicals.

Photos: Paulsboro Train Derailment

Paulsboro School District was on lockdown until 11 a.m. Students were dismissed when officials determined the air quality had improved.

The School District's Superintendent Dr. Frank Scambia told NBC10 that 50 students from all three of the district's schools were on lockdown inside the gymnasium at the high school.

The Fire Department also evacuated all employees on Commerce Street.

"The whole day is a wash," Doug Ricotta, owner of D&D Italian Bakery, told NBC10. "Everything's shutdown."

Roadways leading into Paulsboro were closed.

Officials say the biggest concern right now is the time when the cars are lifted out of the water, although they've already devised a plan to contain the vapors.

"Right now, the remaining chemical is frozen, at the bottom of the car," a Paulsboro official said. "[but} The Conrail engineers and hazmat crews are experts at plugging holes and sealing things and I'm sure they'll do what they need to do to stabilize that product."

The cars, however, will not be lifted out of the water until at least Saturday because it will take a day to bring in a crane large enough to lift the cars.

UTICA, N.Y. -- Nearly 370 people aboard a "Polar Express" holiday train got quite a ride on Thursday night -- three of the cars and an engine derailed after the train left the Utica station.

The derailed cars stayed upright and no one was hurt. One of the passengers on board, Molly Hartnett, of Manlius, told The Post-Standard of Syracuse that the train was too far from the station to walk back in the dark, so Santa visited the train while the passengers waited for buses to pick them up. 

That made an impression on Hartnett's grandson, Liam Hartnett-Weare, 6, who told The Post-Standard: "It was cool." 

About 100 children were on board, and firefighters carried some of the smaller kids to the buses.

The "Polar Express" takes children to a replica of the North Pole to meet Santa. It's inspired by the picture book of the same name, about a doubting boy who regains faith in the spirit of Christmas during a magical train trip to the North Pole.

Officials said Friday night's Polar Express trips on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad were canceled, UticaOD.com reported.

This article includes reporting by msnbc.com staff and The Associated Press.