Ohio 571 reopening today following grain silo collapse, officials say

NEW CARLISLE — UPDATE @ 3:55 p.m. (Feb. 5):

New Carlisle fire officials said they expect Ohio 571 to reopen by 6 p.m. following the grain silo collapse last month.

UPDATE @ 2:34 p.m. (Jan. 30):The Clark County transportation administrator has extended the closure of Ohio 571, so crews have more time to clean up the scene, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The reopening has been pushed back to Feb. 5, however the road could reopen sooner depending on clean up, ODOT said.

UPDATE @ 10:38 a.m. (Jan. 30):

Ohio 571 near the site of a grain silo collapse is scheduled to reopen Wednesday, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Sky 7 flew over the scene Tuesday morning, showing the majority of the state route being cleared of corn.

UPDATE @ 1:32 p.m. (Jan. 25):

The Ohio Department of Transportation said the continued closure of Ohio 571 near Scarff Road is for the safety of drivers as cleanup continues, a decision echoed by multiple agencies.

“Even though State Route 571 is basically clear right now, they still have a lot of piles of corn really close to the roadway,” said ODOT spokeswoman Mandi Dillon.

Dillon said ODOT is a supporting agency in the case and they are working closely with the city of New Carlisle.

ODOT said with the continued cleanup efforts and due to the amount of heavy machinery that has been entering and exiting the road, the decision was the best to make for public safety.

SKY7: Aerial footage of the clean up of exploded grain silo in New Carlisle SKY7: Aerial footage of the clean up of exploded grain silo in New Carlisle

UPDATE @ 4 p.m. (Jan. 24)

According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, State Route 571 will be closed near Scarff Road until January 31. The official detour will remain as SR 201 to US40 to SR 235.

UPDATE @ 8:57 a.m. (Jan. 24):

New Carlisle Fire Chief Steve Trusty said corn continues to cover and close Ohio 571 Wednesday after a silo collapse Sunday night.

Trusty said clean up crews are making headway with their efforts, but a lot of debris still needs moved.

The Ohio Department of Transportation will be checking the road to make sure it is safe after the corn is removed, Trusty said.

Additional work needing done because of damage includes moving electrical line and replacing four utility poles, he said.

INITIAL REPORT:

Ohio 571 remains closed in New Carlisle after a grain silo collapse sent 10,000 tons of corn onto the roadway late Sunday evening.

Crews worked delicately Tuesday to prevent any damage to other nearby buildings surrounded by corn, said New Carlisle Fire Chief Steven Trusty.

"Give us the time, because it's not going to go away in a day,” Trusty said. "It's going to be a very slow process."

Sheriff’s deputies are treating the scene at Miami Valley Feed and Grain Company as a crime scene until criminal activity is ruled out.

“(We’re) considering it to be a crime scene until proven otherwise,” said Maj. Christopher Clark with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.  “We really don’t know what happened to cause the collapse, so we are going to be here to secure the scene.”

Clark said the scene is “very dangerous” and the county is planning to station deputies on the scene around the clock. Anyone that goes past barricades could be subject to charges.

Crews run into issues cleaning up corn after grain silo collapse Crews run into issues cleaning up corn after grain silo collapse

Trusty said the corn is being moved onto the property of the grain silo owner for insurance purposes, however once insurance issues are addressed it will be the property owner’s responsibility for removal.

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Ohio 571 is expected to be shut down until through at least today, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

ODOT suggested detour is Ohio 201 to U.S. 40, then to Ohio 235, according to a media release.

ODOT said the road closure times could change depending on the progress of the cleanup.

Crews were initially called to Miami Valley Feed & Grain at 880 W. Jefferson St. around 11:40 p.m. on reports of an explosion.

After a preliminary investigation, it was determined that one silo collapsed, rather than exploded, and partially damaged another building as well as caused 10,000 tons of corn to cover Ohio 571.

“What residents heard when they thought they heard explosions were the transformers blowing when the debris hit them”, said Steve Trusty, Chief of New Carlisle Fire Department.

There were not any employees on site at the time.

The silo collapse took out at least three power poles and power lines, which caused a brief power outage that has since been restored to all area residents.

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