The Associated Press
HANDLEY, W.Va. — Train cars carrying chemicals and propane gas derailed early Tuesday, forcing authorities to close a highway and to urge all residents to evacuate their small West Virginia town as a precaution.
No one was injured when 18 cars of the CSX Transportation Inc. freight train derailed near Handley around 4:45 a.m., and there was no evidence that any of the overturned cars was leaking, authorities said.
Ten of the derailed cars carried hazardous materials, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease. Five contained propane gas, and four held a sodium hydroxide solution, which is like a drain cleaner. One contained chlorobenzene, which is commonly used for dry cleaning. The other car was empty, but had contained chlorine.
“We’re evacuating as a precautionary measure until we can confirm there is no danger to the public,” said Carolyn Charnock, director of 911 services for Kanawha County.
The derailed cars carried sodium hydroxide and liquid petroleum gas, said Jessica Greathouse, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Environmental Protection. Sodium hydroxide is a corrosive material that can cause serious burns if touched or inhaled.
The train was traveling from Richmond, Va., to Cincinnati at the time, Sease said. He said CSX officials were heading to the scene.
Handley, a riverside community of about 550 residents, is 20 miles east of Charleston. Residents were told to take shelter in a school in nearby Pratt, about 2 miles from the site, then were moved again to a different school six miles away. State Route 61 was also closed as a precaution.