The town's 2,200 residents will be kept out for at least another day, and the schools will remain closed through Thursday, if not longer, Eaton County Sheriff Rick Jones said Wednesday morning.

Still, many residents expressed relief that no one was injured when 35 of the train's 58 cars derailed just after the town's Memorial Day celebration.

"So far we've been really lucky," said City Manager Kristine Silver.

About 75 emergency workers from Canadian National Railway Co. and four local fire departments spent Tuesday burning off propane that was leaking from one of the cars. The propane from two other damaged cars that were not leaking was being loaded into trucks.

"If one of those tanks is to explode, it would be just like a bomb going off," Jones said.

The cause of the accident was not yet known, Canadian National spokesman Ian Thomson said, but county officials ruled out sabotage. The National Transportation Safety Board was monitoring the situation but was not expected to investigate, said spokeswoman Lauren Peduzzi.

Lightning and rain slowed workers' cleanup efforts Tuesday night and early Wednesday, Jones said.

Canadian National on Tuesday removed 19 of the 35 cars that had derailed, Thomson said. Nine of the train's cars were carrying tanks of explosive liquid propane, and two were carrying sulfuric acid, which is toxic, but both appeared to be undamaged.

Canadian National, which is leading the investigation, said it has retrieved data recorders from the train and interviewed the crew.

Around Potterville, there was evidence that residents had left in a hurry. One backyard near the derailment was half-mowed, a lawnmower still sitting in the grass.

"We've got a chicken dinner sitting on the counter still," said Arnold Watters, 44, a mechanic who fled with his wife, son and dog after sheriff's deputies with bullhorns told residents to leave.

Many of the town's residents were staying with friends or in hotel rooms paid for by Canadian National. Sheriff's deputies were escorting some people to their homes to get medicine, pets and clothing.

Judy Williams, 40, waited for a ride to her home to collect medicine for her 11-year-old daughter.

"I am worried that when they do the burning, they'll find something they didn't expect and it'll explode. I don't even want to be around here," she said.