CSX train derailment Kentucky triggers fire and shelter order

CSX train derailment Kentucky led to a shelter-in-place order on Tuesday after a flammable chemical leak and a fire in rural southern Kentucky, as reported by the Associated Press. The order was later lifted.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

CSX derailment Todd County Kentucky: what happened

CSX said 31 rail cars derailed at about 6:15 a.m. CST in Todd County, according to a CSX Customer Advisory. One of the cars suffered a molten sulfur leak, and the derailment sparked a fire that the company said was extinguished by late Tuesday morning.

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Response efforts and safety measures

Crews stayed at the scene and were working “as safely and quickly as possible” to clean up the site, CSX said. The company also pointed to coordination with local first responders and emergency management officials, adding that its focus remained the health and safety of onsite personnel, the surrounding community, and mitigating any potential risk to the environment.

Shelter-in-place order lifted after air testing

CSX said the chemical substance involved can be toxic when it is on fire. Todd County emergency management director Ash Groves said air quality testing at the derailment site indicated that “everything is good now,” and the shelter-in-place order was lifted, as noted by Trains.com. Authorities had issued a half-mile shelter-in-place zone around the impacted site as a precaution.

The incident occurred about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) west of downtown Trenton — about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) northwest of Nashville, Tennessee.

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