A Norfolk Southern train derailment in Springfield, Ohio – the second in the state in just over a month – did not involve any hazardous materials or cause any spillage, according to local officials and the rail operator.
“Local, state first responders confirm no hazardous materials found at train derailment site in Clark County,” the Clark County Emergency Management Agency wrote in its latest update on Facebook early Sunday.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also tweeted about the Springfield derailment, saying, “We don’t believe hazardous materials were involved.” He said Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency and Emergency Management Agency and Highway Patrol were on the scene Saturday night offering assistance to first responders.
“President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg called me to offer help from the federal government,” DeWine added.
OHIO HAZMAT, EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND TO TRAIN DERAILMENT IN SPRINGFIELD
Multiple cars of a Norfolk Southern train lie toppled after derailing at a train crossing with Ohio 41 in Clark County, Ohio, March 4, 2023. (Bill Lackey/Springfield-News Sun via AP)
In a statement to Fox News Digital Sunday, Norfolk Southern confirmed, “Last night at 5:00 p.m. ET, 28 cars of a 212-car Norfolk Southern train derailed while traveling Southbound in the vicinity of Springfield, Ohio.”
“No hazardous materials were involved, or injuries reported. We are coordinating with local authorities on site and expect to have the wreckage cleared by mid-day,” the company added.
According to the Clark County Emergency Management Agency, two tankers contained residual amounts of Diesel Exhaust Fluid and the other two tankers contained residual amounts of Polyacrylamide Water Solution. The statement said both materials “are common industrial products shipped via railroad.”
The agency had asked residents within 1,000 feet of the derailment to shelter in place but did not issue formal evacuation orders. The shelter-in-place order has reportedly since been lifted.
Another Norfolk Southern cargo train derailed Saturday, this time near Springfield in Clark County, Ohio. (Bill Lackey/Springfield-News Sun via AP)
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The Springfield Township Fire Department responded to the scene and “immediately deployed the Clark County Hazmat team to identify the scope of the incident out of an abundance of caution,” the Clark County Emergency Management Agency said.
“There is no indication of any injuries or risk to public health at this time,” their statement said. “A crew from the owner/operator of the railway Norfolk Southern, the Clark County Hazmat team and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency each independently examined the crash site and verified there was no evidence of spillage at the site.“
A Norfolk Southern cargo train car derailed by Springfield, Ohio, March 4, 2023. (Bill Lackey/Springfield-News Sun via AP)
The derailment is not in an area with a protected water source, meaning there is no risk to public water systems or private wells at this time, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The incident came a month and a day after the Feb. 3 incident in East Palestine, in northeast Ohio near Pennsylvania, where 38 cars of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed and several of the train’s cars carrying hazardous materials burned.
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Though no one was injured, nearby neighborhoods in both states were imperiled. The crash prompted an evacuation of about half the town’s roughly 5,000 residents, an ongoing multigovernmental emergency response and lingering worries among villagers of long-term health impacts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
