A chemical leak from a railcar in Hamilton County, Ohio, led officials to order evacuations for residents in the Cleves and Whitewater Township areas on Tuesday.
The Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency instructed anyone within half a mile of the affected rail yard to evacuate immediately. The leak was confirmed to be styrene, a flammable chemical used in the production of plastics and rubber, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Explosion risk and safety precautions
“The risk of an explosion is our primary concern,” an official stated during a Tuesday night news conference. Residents within a three-quarter-mile radius were advised to shelter in place as a precaution, although authorities assured the public that safety measures were in place.
Around 210 homes are located within the evacuation zone, though the number of people affected was not immediately clear. Residents requiring shelter were directed to the Whitewater Township Center.
Leak containment and monitoring efforts
At an 11 p.m. ET news conference, officials confirmed that the leak had been contained but urged people to continue avoiding the area.
“We’ve made significant progress by separating the affected railcar from the rest of the train,” said an official. Monitoring teams are actively assessing the situation to ensure safety, and air quality is being checked for styrene, though exact levels have yet to be determined.
The train involved consisted of 29 cars, some of which were also carrying styrene. Only one car was found to have leaked the chemical.
Ongoing evacuation and updates
Officials asked residents to be patient regarding when they could return home. “We’re not going to rush this,” one official said. “Once it’s absolutely safe, we’ll let everyone know. For now, we encourage residents to monitor social media and news outlets for updates.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also took to social media platform X, urging residents to follow instructions from local authorities.
Cleves Township is located about 17 miles from Cincinnati, while Whitewater Township is approximately 22 miles away.
