Cleves, Ohio
AP
—
Students in school buildings and residents of hundreds of nearby homes were ordered to evacuate after a dangerous chemical began leaking from a train car Tuesday near Cincinnati.
Authorities said a pressure relief valve on the car was leaking styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical used in 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 hosing down the car, which was sitting upright on lanes between a highway and an asphalt plant.
Crews were working to “cool the tank to maintain the temperature,” Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District Chief Mike Siefke said at a news conference Tuesday night. Officials initially feared the rising temperature of the car could lead to an explosion, but Siefke said that was “not a concern at this time.”
The leak has stopped and the impacted car has been removed from the other cars, said Brian Stussie, assistant vice president of operations for Genesee & Wyoming Railroad.
Air quality tests were conducted Tuesday night, and results are expected Wednesday morning, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
The Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency advised anyone within a mile of the area near U.S. 50 and the Great Miami River west of Cincinnati to immediately leave. About 200 homes are in the evacuation zone, Siefke said. Residents just outside the evacuation zone were asked to stay indoors and keep their windows closed.
The area is a mix of businesses, homes and large tracts of undeveloped land.
“To our knowledge, all residents who were displaced have been accounted for,” said Andrew Knapp, director of the Hamilton County 911 Center.
Three school buildings have been evacuated and all after-school events have been canceled, said Lisa Whiteley, a spokeswoman for the Three Rivers Local School District.
“This is going to be a long-term event. It’s not going to be short,” Siefke said, asking the community to be patient during the cleanup efforts.
Tom Ciuba, a spokesman for the Central Railroad of Indiana, said the company was notified Tuesday afternoon of a car near Cleves leaking styrene. He said firefighters were on scene and environmental response agencies were responding.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Federal Railroad Administration personnel were heading to the area to provide assistance if needed.
Last year, a train derailment across the Ohio River in East Palestine, about 300 miles northeast of Cincinnati, caused hazardous chemicals to leak and burn for days. The February 2023 derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border led to new safety rules and increased scrutiny from the railroad industry and federal regulators.
CNN’s Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
