Chemical Leak Triggers Evacuation in Hamilton County, Ohio

Chemical Leak issued for Cleves and Whitewater Township after styrene leak; officials urge residents to stay away.

A chemical spill from a train has forced officials to tell people living in the Cleves and Whitewater Township areas of Hamilton County, Ohio, to leave their homes quickly, as confirmed on Tuesday.

The Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency told everyone living up to half a mile from the train yard to get out now.

The spilled substance was found to be styrene, a flammable liquid used to make plastics and rubber, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

At a news conference on Tuesday night, officials sounded the alarm about the risk of an explosion.

“For safety, we’re asking people living up to a quarter-mile away to stay inside,” an official said, promising that experts think they can handle the situation safely.

Around 210 homes are in the danger zone, but it’s not clear how many people are affected. People needing a place to stay were told to go to the Whitewater Township Center for help.

Even though the leak was stopped by 11 p.m. ET, officials still told people to stay away from the area.

“We’ve made good progress by cutting off the leaking train car from the rest of the train,” one official mentioned.

Teams are working hard to keep everyone safe, and people are being asked to stay away for now.

Air quality tests for styrene are still going on, but officials haven’t figured out the exact levels yet.

The train had 29 cars, with a few still holding styrene; however, only one car was found to have leaked.

When asked when people could go back home, officials said to wait. “We’re not taking any risks.

We’ll let everyone know when it’s totally safe to come back,” they said, asking people to stay updated through social media and news.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also said on Twitter to listen to the local authorities.

Cleves Township is about 17 miles from Cincinnati, and Whitewater Township is about 22 miles away.