Cleves, Ohio
AP
—
Students in school buildings and residents of hundreds of neighboring homes were told to evacuate Tuesday after a dangerous chemical leaked from a train car near Cincinnati.
Authorities said a pressure release valve in the car was leaking styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical used to make plastic and rubber. It can cause headaches, nausea and breathing problems, and long-term exposure can lead to more serious health problems, including organ damage.
Aerial video showed firefighters spraying down the car, which sat upright on the tracks between the highway and the asphalt plant.
“Crews are working to cool the tank to maintain temperatures,” Mike Siefke, chief of the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District, said at a news conference Tuesday evening. Initially, officials were concerned that the railcar’s rising temperature could lead to an explosion, but Siefke said “we don’t have a concern right now.”
The spill was stopped and the affected car was removed from the other train cars, said Brian Stussy, vice president of operations for Genesee & Wyoming Railroads.
Air quality testing was underway Tuesday evening and results were expected Wednesday morning, officials said. No injuries were reported.
Hamilton County’s Emergency Management Agency advised anyone within a half mile of the area near US Route 50 and the Great Miami River west of Cincinnati to evacuate immediately. About 200 homes remain in the evacuation zone, Siefke said. Residents just outside the evacuation zone were told to stay inside and keep their windows closed.
The area consists of businesses, homes and large amounts of undeveloped land.
“As far as we know, all displaced residents have been taken care of,” said Andrew Knapp, director of the Hamilton County 911 Center.
Three school buildings were evacuated and all school events were canceled, said Lisa Whiteley, spokeswoman for the Three Rivers Local School District.
“It’s going to be a long event. It’s not going to be short,” Sifke said, asking for the community’s patience during the cleanup effort.
Tom Ciuba, a spokesman for the Indiana Central Railroad, said Tuesday afternoon that a train car was notified of a styrene discharge near Cleves. He said firefighters are on the scene and environmental response agencies have been mobilized.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg He said Federal Railroad Administration personnel are moving to the area to assist as needed.
Last year, a train derailment on the opposite side of Ohio in East Palestine, about 300 miles northeast of Cincinnati, spilled dangerous chemicals and burned for days. February 2023 Derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line New safety rules and additional scrutiny by the railroad industry and federal regulators.
CNN’s Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
“Friend of animals everywhere. Devoted analyst. Total alcohol scholar. Infuriatingly humble food trailblazer.”