CLEVES, Ohio – A styrene leak has led to the evacuation of some residents in the Cleves and Whitewater Township areas, the Central Railroad of Indiana confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
WATCH LIVE: Officials now provide an update on the leak
A spokesman for the Central Railroad of Indiana said the company was notified around 1 p.m. that styrene was leaking from one of its railroad cars near the intersection of US-50 and OH-128.
“We are cooperating fully with emergency services, who will be issuing all evacuation orders,” the spokesman said. “We ask that everyone in the area follow emergency services’ instructions and stay away from the scene so that we can bring the incident under control as safely, quickly and effectively as possible.”
The Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency initially reported that residents should immediately go into their homes and stay there. Residents were instructed to seal doors and windows, close chimney dampers and turn off their heat.
Anyone within a half-mile of the rail yard at US-50, OH-128 and Valley Junction Road is asked to “leave the area immediately.”
Hamilton County – Map
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, styrene is a colorless, flammable liquid used to make plastics and rubber. Styrene is highly volatile.
According to the CDC, people may experience fatigue, slowed reaction times, difficulty concentrating, and loss of balance when exposed to styrene concentrations more than 1,000 times higher than levels normally found in the environment.
A video provided by Aaron Vetter shows gas leaking from a tanker truck in the area. In the video, someone can be heard saying, “This has been going on for 45 minutes.” WCPO’s Sky 9 filmed firefighters spraying the tanker truck with water.
Video shows chemical leak from train in Kleve
The Three Rivers Local School District told parents that students and staff had begun evacuating. A Kroger spokesperson said their store near the leak is currently closed. The library’s Miami Township branch is also closed.
An emergency shelter for the public has been opened at the Whitewater Community Center at 6125 Dry Fork Road and at the Miami Township Hall at 112 S. Miami Avenue.
Watch live:
WCPO 9 News at 5 p.m.
