A Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio on Saturday — the second such crash in the state in just over a month — prompting county officials to ask residents within 1,000 feet of the site to shelter in place as investigators assessed the train’s cargo.
No hazardous materials were involved in the derailment, which happened around 5 p.m. near Springfield, Ohio, about 80 miles northeast of Cincinnati, according to Norfolk Southern, which operated the train. There were no reports of injuries, the company said.
Norfolk Southern said in a statement on Sunday that 28 cars of the 212-car train derailed. The company previously reported that 20 cars had derailed.
Crews from the rail company began cleanup operations early on Sunday, the statement said.
Clark County lifted the shelter-in-place order early on Sunday.
County officials said at a news conference that the train had four tankers that carried nonhazardous materials. Two had residual amounts of diesel exhaust fluid, and the other had residual amounts of polyacrylamide water solution. Officials described those as “common industrial products shipped via railroad.”
“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,” the county said on Facebook.
Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio said on Twitter that state environmental responders were helping firefighters at the scene.
Norfolk Southern has faced scrutiny after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last month that led to concerns over the air and water quality after a controlled burning of toxic chemicals that the authorities believed were at risk of causing an explosion.
Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, who has come under fire for his response to the East Palestine crash, said on Twitter that he had been briefed on the derailment in Springfield, and that “no hazardous material release has been reported, but we will continue to monitor closely.”
Claire Fahy contributed reporting.
