A hazardous chemical spill in Whitewater Township has prompted an evacuation order for people in the area, according to Hamilton County emergency management and fire officials. The spill is happening near State Route 128 and US 50 near the Great Miami River in western Hamilton County. Hamilton County EMA said a “hazardous chemical spill” occurred near State Route 128 and US 50, according to Whitewater fire officials. In an update Wednesday morning, officials said they are continuing to maintain a half-mile evacuation zone for public safety and said roads will remain closed for an “indefinite amount of time.” The full Wednesday morning press conference can be viewed in the video player above. Officials say crews worked overnight to pour water over the car, but have not yet removed it from the track. In Wednesday's update, officials did not provide any specifics about air quality or what they have seen in the water samples, saying they are being monitored. There have been no reports of injuries from first responders or the public. In an update late Tuesday night, officials said the carriage that was leaking has been isolated from the rest of the train carriages as crews continue to work to cool the train. The train was no longer leaking as of 11 p.m. Around 11 p.m. Tuesday, crews on scene began evaluating the leaking train carriage to determine next steps. EMA officials say the leak was not caused by the derailment, but rather a valve on the train carriage that was open, releasing styrene gas. It's still unknown what caused the leak. Here's what we know. Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District Chief Mike Siefke said crews are working to contain the vapors by cooling the affected areas. He said they have identified the problem as steam escaping from a pressure relief valve. The fire department has issued an evacuation order for those living within a half-mile radius of the railyard by U.S. 50 and State Route 128 and a shelter-in-place order for those living within a three-quarter-mile radius until further notice. Officials said the Hamilton County EMA will send alerts to residents within a two-mile radius of the chemical leak. At this time, Siefke said there have been no reports of anyone being injured from the chemical leak. As of Tuesday night, officials said no one has reported being exposed to the chemical. Siefke said the threat of an explosion at the site of the leak is not imminent. On Tuesday night, officials said there is no threat of an explosion. Officials said in an update Tuesday night that crews are working to set up air monitoring services that will alert officials to what the air quality is like. Siefke said the United States Environmental Protection Agency has also been called in to help with the process. Siefke said there are health concerns with the chemical in that it can cause headaches, nausea and respiratory problems, which is why if you come into contact with styrene, wash your skin with soap and water and remove clothing, flush eyes with water for 15 minutes and remove contact lenses. If inhaled, wash your mouth and consult a doctor. Officials stressed the need for people to stay indoors and said this will be a “prolonged event.” Central Road of Indiana released a statement about the incident “Around 1 p.m. today, the Central Railroad of Indiana (CIND) was notified of a railcar in the vicinity of Cleves, Ohio, that was emitting styrene. The local fire department is on scene, and environmental response agencies have been mobilized. We are fully cooperating with first responders, who will determine any evacuation orders. We ask everyone in the area to follow the orders of first responders and stay away from the scene so we can control the incident as safely, quickly and effectively as possible. We will provide periodic updates as we learn more.” The railcar is not owned by Central Road of Indiana, but it is on one of their tracks, the company said Tuesday. All surrounding roads are closed, including U.S. 50 from Kilby Road to Cooper Avenue. All stores in the area, including Kroger, are closed. The Whitewater Township Community Center on Dry Fork Road is open for those who need shelter. The Three Rivers School District, which is nearby, was evacuated on Tuesday afternoon due to a chemical leak. In an update on Tuesday night, officials said classes in the district would be canceled on Wednesday due to ongoing impacts caused by the leak. A decision on after-school activities scheduled for Wednesday will be made by 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown released a statement on the chemical leak on Tuesday night, saying he is monitoring the situation. “I am monitoring the situation involving the train car chemical leak in Whitewater Township and urge residents to follow the guidance provided by Hamilton County Emergency Management and the Homeland Security Agency. I thank local emergency responders for their quick action,” the statement said. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance also released a statement on the chemical leak in Whitewater Township, saying “My team and I are closely monitoring the potentially dangerous chemical leak coming from a railcar near Cleves, Ohio.” Vance said local officials are working hard to keep the community safe.
People in the area have been ordered to evacuate due to a hazardous chemical spill in Whitewater Township, according to Hamilton County emergency management and fire officials.
The spill is happening near the Great Miami River in western Hamilton County, near State Route 128 and US 50.
The Hamilton County EMA said a “hazardous chemical spill” occurred near State Route 128 and US 50, according to Whitewater Fire officials.
In an update Wednesday morning, officials said they would maintain a half-mile evacuation zone for public safety and that roads would remain closed for an “indefinite amount of time.”
The entire Wednesday morning press conference can be seen in the video above.
Officials say crews worked overnight to douse the car with water but it has not yet been removed from the tracks.
In Wednesday’s update, officials did not provide specifics about what the air quality or water samples were showing, saying they were being monitored.
There have been no reports of injuries from first responders or the general public.
In an update late Tuesday night, officials said the coach that was leaking had been isolated from the other coaches of the train as workers worked to cool the train. As of 11 p.m., there was no leakage on the train.
At around 11pm on Tuesday night, workers at the site began assessing the leaking train bogie, and deciding on the next step.
EMA officials say the leak was not caused by the derailment but by a train compartment whose valve was open, causing the styrene gas to escape. It is not yet known what caused the leak.
We know this.
Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District Chief Mike Siefke said crews are working to contain the vapors by cooling the affected areas. He said they have found there is a problem with the vapors escaping from the pressure relief valve.
The fire department has issued an evacuation order for those living within a half-mile radius of the railyard at U.S. 50 and state Route 128, and those within a three-quarter-mile radius are asked to shelter in place until further notice. Hamilton County EMA will send an alert to residents living within a two-mile radius of the chemical spill, officials said.
Siefke said there were no reports of anyone being injured as of now. As of Tuesday night, officials said no one had been reported to have come in contact with the chemical leak.
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Siefke said there was no immediate threat of an explosion at the spill site. On Tuesday night, officials said there was no threat of an explosion.
Officials said on Tuesday night that work was underway to set up air monitoring services that would alert authorities about air quality.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has also been called in to assist in the process, Siefke said.
Siefke said the health concerns from this chemical are that it can cause headaches, nausea and respiratory problems, which is why he has ordered people to evacuate and stay in a safe place.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, styrene is a colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet odor. If you come into contact with styrene, wash your skin with soap and water and remove clothing, flush eyes with plenty of water for 15 minutes and remove contact lenses. If inhaled, wash your mouth and consult a doctor.
Officials stressed the need for people to stay indoors and said this would be a “long event”.
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Central Road of Indiana released a statement regarding the incident
“This afternoon at approximately 1 p.m., the Central Railroad of Indiana (CIND) received information regarding a railcar in the vicinity of Cleves, Ohio that was venting styrene. The local fire department is on scene, and environmental response agencies have also been activated. We are fully cooperating with first responders, who will determine any evacuation orders. We request everyone in the area to follow the orders of first responders and stay away from the scene so that we may contain the incident as safely, quickly, and effectively as possible. We will provide periodic updates as we learn more.”
The railcar is not owned by Central Road of Indiana, but is located on one of their tracks, the company said Tuesday.
All nearby roads are closed, including U.S. 50 from Kilby Road to Cooper Avenue. All stores in the area are closed, including Kroger.
The Whitewater Township Community Center on Dry Fork Road is open to those in need of shelter.
The nearby Three Rivers School District was evacuated due to a chemical leak Tuesday afternoon. In an update Tuesday night, officials said classes in the district would be canceled Wednesday because of ongoing impacts from the leak.
A decision on after-school activities scheduled for Wednesday will be made by 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown issued a statement on the chemical leak Tuesday night, saying he is monitoring the situation.
“I am monitoring the situation involving the train car chemical spill in Whitewater Township and urge residents to follow the guidelines provided by Hamilton County Emergency Management and the Homeland Security Agency. I thank local emergency responders for their quick action,” the statement said.
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance also released a statement on the chemical spill in Whitewater Township, saying “My team and I are closely monitoring the potentially dangerous chemical spill from a railcar near Cleves, Ohio.”
Vance said local officials are working hard to keep the community safe.