Update: 11:10 a.m.
EMA/MetroSafe is now saying the evacuation and road closures will likely last 24 hours after the incident.
Update: 10:55 a.m.
The evacuations and road closures caused by a train derailment and chemical leak in southwestern Jefferson County will likely last for at least 14 hours.
The train was carrying lots of different chemicals, but so far the only one that appears to be leaking is butadiene. Some residents living near Abbot Beach Road in Jefferson County and Katherine Station Road in Bullitt County have been evacuated, and there’s a shelter-in-place warning for those within a two mile radius of the spill.
MetroSafe spokeswoman Jody Duncan says the road closure and evacuation will continue at least 14 hours, because that’s how long it will take to clean up the leak. But the area could be affected for longer.
Update: 10:30 a.m.
Here are five things you should know about butadiene.
Update: 9:50 a.m.
The shelter-in-place warning from the train derailment in southwestern Jefferson County has been expanded to 2 miles, EMA/MetroSafe said.
No further evacuations have been ordered.
Update: 9:30 a.m.
The flammable chemical butadiene is leaking Monday morning after a train derailment in southwestern Jefferson County near Dixie Highway, said Jody Duncan, a spokeswoman for EMA/MetroSafe.
The evacuation on Abbotts Beach Road is affecting about 20 homes, Duncan said. The shelter-in-place warning remains in effect for a mile-radius of the train derailment.
No injuries were reported in the derailment or aftermath, though a hunter was reportedly near the scene when the derailment happened, Duncan said.
Bullitt County authorities have evacuated parts of Katherine Station Road, Duncan said.
About 20 homes have been affected by the train derailment in southwestern Jefferson County, said Jody Duncan, spokeswoman for EMA/MetroSafe.
Barge traffic was also halted after the train derailment, Duncan said.
WFPL will bring you more as information becomes available.
Earlier:
The derailment of a train carrying chemicals on Dixie Highway near the Jefferson County line early Monday has caused authorities to evacuate homes on Abbott Beach Road, MetroSafe/EMA said. Bullitt County officials are also evacuating residents on Katherine Station Road. Nearby residents have been warned to shelter in place.
A Level 3 HazMat incident--the highest possible designation--has been declared. MetroSafe spokeswoman Jody Duncan says crews are working to check for leaks to see if any chemicals were spilled. The train was carrying chemicals including:
- hydrogen fluorides
- hydrochloric acid
- sodium hydroxide
- butadiene
- styrene monomer
- methyl isobutyl ketone
- calcium carbide
The derailment happened at about 6 a.m. and no injuries were immediately reported, MetroSafe/EMA said.
Authorities are warning people within a mile radius of the derailment to stay indoors until further notice, and a civilian no-fly zone has been instituted for a five-mile radius from the accident. Johnson says she's not sure where the train was headed, but it was going south from Louisville. The train was operated by P&L Railroad.
WFPL will bring you more as information becomes available.
