UPDATE: 19,000 GALLONS OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND ACIDIC SOLUTIONS WERE SPILLED OUT OF RAIL CARS AFTER A TRAIN DERAILED TUESDAY.
Train
derails, chemical spills in South Carolina
Friday,
Jan. 30, 2015
ALLENDALE
CO., S.C. (WRDW) -- A CSX employee is saying the cause of the train derailment
is still under investigation tonight.
The
names of the workers who were injured on the train are not being released at
this time, according to CSX.
Today,
Hazmat, contractors, and environmental remediation crews were on scene, Kristin
Seay with CSX said.
A
scrap metal company will come in and scrap some of the cars and the rest will
be removed. Most of the cars have been rerailed at this time and some will be
transported to other CSX facilities, Seay said.
Friday, Jan. 30, 2015
ALLENDALE
CO., SC (WRDW) -- CSX and Savannah River Site emergency response personnel are
working to clean up 19,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid and acidic solutions
that were spilled out of rail cars after a train derailed Tuesday.
Today,
the Savannah Riverkeeper released a statement that included she surveyed the
area from an airplane Thursday afternoon.
Following
her flight, Tonya Bonitatibus stated cleanup efforts appear to be underway and
that crews have made significant progress in removing contaminated dirt and
rebuilding the railway.
There
appears to be evidence of acid burns to the landscape as well as some debris
from the containers, Bonitatibus said.
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015
ALLENDALE
CO., SC (WRDW) -- New reports are out about the train derailment in Allendale
County Tuesday. CSX and Savannah River Site emergency response personnel are
reporting about 19,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid and acidic solutions were
spilled out of the rail cars.
The
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has identified
contamination on the lower Three Runs Creek near where the accident took place.
On
top of hydrochloric acid, up to 100 gallons of sodium hydroxide, and
approximately 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel were also spilled in the crash.
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working with the Savannah Riverkeeper
on clean up and damage control.
An
absorbent boom has been placed in the creek to collect the material and, as a
precaution, another boom has been placed at the merger of Savannah River and
Lower Three Runs Creek, DHEC said.
There
is still no confirmation on what caused the train to crash. The FBI is still
investigating to find out the cause. Their agents tell us that stretch of track
where the crash occurred is owned and operated by CSX.
Remediation
will begin once the rail cars have been removed.
Wednesday,
January 28, 2015
ALLENDALE
CO., S.C. (WRDW) -- CSX is now confirming hydrochloric acid did spill out of an
overturned train car in Allendale County Tuesday. The company is not commenting
on Archroma's claim the conductor took a wrong turn, and crashed into two rail
cars parked at the plant.
The
clean up is underway at the site of the train crash. In a release from CSX,
they say when the train hit the rail cars, diesel fuel was released along with
hydrochloric acid.
Savannah
Riverkeeper Tonya Bonitatibus has dealt with chemical spills before, but none
quite like this. "I've dealt with a lot of spills also, but never have I
had FBI or sled or any of these guys show up," she said.
It
was a full house Tuesday, and again Wednesday as crews assessed the damage from
the crash. And for Bonitatibus, the wait for answers was frustrating. "You
have to take precaution but you also have to take care, you have to take care
of our waterways and you have to let people know what's going on," the
riverkeeper said.
But
Wednesday, she saw the affects of the crash for herself. "Our visual
survey we didn't see dead fish, we didn't see smoke coming out of the water
which can happen with some acid so that's good," Bonitatibus said.
She
still has to run the samples to monitor the water, which she says impacts a lot
of folks in this town. "This is something that is on my mind everyday.
There are fisherman, this is a rural area, there's not a movie theater you can
go to, this is a culture completely around the river," she said.
For
now, she says it looks safe and CSX is working on the problem as well. "I
was pleasantly surprised to see that they had gone all the way to the mouth of
the river and put a boom in," she tells News 12.
But
she says that's just the beginning of what could be a long process.
"They're taking steps in the right direction. It will really be key over
the next few days to see what kind of remediation are we talking about and how
much damage has been done," she said.
The
boom is made of plastic, and will help keep any objects from the crash from
going downstream. It doesn't keep out the hydrochloric acid, that will dissolve
into the water. But again, the riverkeeper said it doesn't appear too much acid
got in the water, and as of now it looks okay.
The
FBI is also investigating the crash. Agents tell us that stretch of track is
owned and operated by CSX. Investigators are not saying who or what is at
fault.
Wednesday,
Jan. 28, 2015
ALLENDALE
COUNTY, S.C. (WRDW) -- The train company, CSX, has released a statement about
Tuesday's train derailment involving a train heading from Savannah to Atlanta.
In
statement from CSX, the company confirms the lead train turned on its side and
hydrochloric acid spilled on the ground.
CSX
is working with state agencies to test the water and air. Containment materials
including hard booms have been placed in the wetlands, according to the
statement.
There
is currently no adverse impact on air quality, according to South Carolina
Emergency Management Division.
The
cause of the derailment is still under investigation, CSX said.
The
plant near the train, Archroma, has said the train took a wrong turn and
derailed.
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015
ALLENDALE
COUNTY, S.C. (WRDW) -- South Carolina Emergency Management officials said
Highway 125 in Allendale County was reopened Tuesday night after a early
morning train derailment.
Officials
said CSX crews will be working overnight on cleanup, and the smaller side roads
closer to the crash site will remain closed for days.
CSX
said the two men taken to Doctors Hospital were train crew members and had non
life-threatening injuries. They are still investigating the cause of the
accident.
News 12 @ 6 o'clock / Tuesday, January 27, 2015
ALLENDALE CO., S.C. (WRDW) -- Crews from DHEC, South Carolina EMA, and even the FBI are on the scene of a train derailment and chemical spill in Allendale County. The train was on its way from savannah to Atlanta around 2:30 this morning, when it derailed outside the Archroma Plant. That plant was evacuated and multiple roads shut down.
The
company says a CSX train took a wrong turn and hit two parked rail cars. Two
men were injured in the accident, and taken to Doctor's Hospital.
Glenda
Dotson was up much earlier than normal this morning. "Well when I heard
it, it woke me up at two o'clock this morning. And I was listening to try to
figure out what was going on," she said.
It
was a train crash, just down the road from her home. "I knew I shouldn't
go down there and get in something I couldn't avoid myself," Dotson said.
Dotson
has been with the Allendale Fire Department for more than thirty years. She's
been in a lot of dangerous situations, but none like this, and none in her own
backyard. "I guess you keep putting things in the back of your mind like
oh that won't happen to me but I guess eventually one day it may," she
said.
Savannah
Riverkeeper Tonya Bonitatibus is concerned over what chemicals could have been
spilled from the crash, possibly hydrochloric acid. "My big concern is
that there are a lot of creeks over here it's right near the river. So I need
confirmation on whether this has entered the water way, if so this could cause
a lot of damage," Bonitatibus said.
The
damage shouldn't affect drinking water, because it's a remote area with a lot
of drinking wells, but it could be bad for the creeks and river nearby.
"So if it does enter the waterway it will drop the ph pretty quickly and
that will kill most of the things in it," the riverkeeper said.
Bonitatibus
says the good news in this situation, the area is very rural, so folks who live
close by should be safe right where they are, something Dotson was happy to
hear. "I was listening to see if we had to make a run for it but thank
goodness we didn't," Dotson said.
It
could take days to get this cleaned up. First they have to finalize exactly
what chemical, or chemicals spilled. Investigators believe they're dealing with
hydrochloric acid, because that's what the two workers were exposed to, who
went to the hospital. Experts say hydrochloric acid can be neutralized in the
air.
Augusta
HWY 125, HWY 3, and Revolutionary Trail are still shut down, around fifteen
hours after the crash happened. Crews expect those roads to remain closed for
quite a while. We reached out to leaders at CSX to get their response about
their train being at fault for possibly taking a wrong turn, but we have not
heard back.
Tuesday,
January 27, 2015
ALLENDALE
COUNTY, S.C. (WRDW) -- In a statement, Archroma says a CSX train took a wrong
turn. The train crashed into stationary rail cars being used by the plant.
Two
people have been sent to the hospital with injuries after the train derailed in
Martin, South Carolina in what's now being considered an active scene.
Originally,
Derrec Becker with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, told News
12 the scene was being considered a crime scene.
CSX
says around 2:20 a.m. one of their trains was traveling from Savannah to
Atlanta when it derailed. They say the lead locomotive turned on its side
during the derailment. The two crew members on board were both taken to
Doctor's Hospital in Augusta.
Officials
confirm there was a hazardous chemical spilled, but it is now contained. A
hazmat team is working to learn if the chemical spill came from the train or
the train cars.
Officials
say they believe it's a hydrochloric spill because the two crew members are
having difficulty breathing after being exposed to hydrochloride, but they were
taken to the hospital because of injuries related to the accident, emergency
officials said.
It's
very common to have this many agencies respond to a situation like this
including the FBI, according to officials on scene. Right now, the FBI is there
to assist SLED and CSX. SLED is using a chopper for aerial surveillance of the
scene, officials said.
The
Archroma plant was evacuated at the time of the crash, but workers are back on
the job. Right now, crews are trying to check to check the area to see how they
can get it cleaned up because they are still unsure of what the substance is
that spilled, officials on scene said.
Crews
on scene are trying to get as close as they can without gear on. They will then
see how far they can get with gear on and assess the clean-up from there. There
are no other major evacuations have been done because it is a rural area,
officials said.
Several
roads in the area remain shut down, including part of Augusta Hwy 125, Hwy 3
and Revolutionary Trail onto Hwy 3.
American
Red Cross disaster-trained volunteers are assisting emergency response crews.
Allendale
County Emergency Management Agency asked Red Cross to help. Red Cross says they
are providing meals, snacks, and hydration to more than 40 emergency
responders.
News
12 is on scene, stay with us for updates.
JANUARY
27, 2015
MARTIN,
S.C. -- A train has derailed and chemicals leaked from a car in Allendale
County, but no widespread evacuations have been ordered. Derrec Becker with the
South Carolina Emergency Management Division says the scene is now being
considered a crime scene, reports CBS Augusta, Georgia affiliate WRDW-TV.
Deputies
told media outlets that the train ran off the tracks around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday
in Martin, which is about 12 miles northwest of Allendale on state Highway 125.
Authorities
evacuated the nearby Archroma plant, which makes colored paper and textiles. No
homes in the area were evacuated.
Deputies
say two people on the train were hurt and were taken to a hospital in Augusta,
Georgia. Their conditions were not known.
Authorities
say the spill site is still being cleaned up. Investigators have not figured
out why the train left the tracks.
Officials
confirmed there was a hazardous chemical spilled, but it is now contained, WRDW
reported. A hazmat team was on the scene.
The
station reports that several roads were blocked off by officers at the scene of
the derailment.