Dangerous gas leak forces evacuations in Cleves, Ohio

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Dangerous gas leak forces evacuations in Cleves, Ohio

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(NewsNation) — A dangerous chemical leak spewing from a train tanker car has forced immediate emergency evacuations for residents in Cleves, Ohio, 16 miles west of Cincinnati. 

The Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency warned people in Cleves and Whitewater Township to “leave the area immediately” due to a “dangerous chemical leak” in an alert, adding that they have opened a public shelter for those fleeing.

Video acquired by NewsNation shows white fumes spewing out of a stalled tanker car.

Aerial video showed firefighters spraying down a railcar sitting upright on tracks between the highway and an asphalt plant.

Cleves sits on the Ohio border with Indiana and has a population of about 3,000 people.

Tom Ciuba, a spokesman for the Central Railroad of Indiana, said it was notified around 1 p.m. about a railcar in the area of Cleves that was venting styrene, which is used to make plastic and rubber. 

“Ohio EPA’s Emergency Response team arrived on scene in Cleves around 4:00 p.m., Tuesday. Our on-scene coordinator is there to assist the local fire department that is in charge of Incident Command Operations,” an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson said in a statement.

Authorities said a pressure release valve on it was leaking styrene. “The volume of styrene in the release is unknown at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Three nearby school buildings were evacuated, according to Lisa Whiteley, a spokesperson for the Three Rivers Local School District.

Styrene gas, a neurotoxin, can immobilize people within minutes of inhalation and can be fatal at high concentrations. Last year in the Indian city of Visakhapatnam, a leak of styrene gas from a chemical factory killed 12 people and sickened more than 1,000.

Last year a train derailment on the opposite side of Ohio in East Palestine, about 300 miles (480 kilometers) northeast of Cincinnati, caused hazardous chemicals to leak and burn for days. The February 2023 derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line led to new safety rules and increased scrutiny of the rail industry and federal regulators.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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