Cleanup of train derailment site expected to be completed overnight, Ohio EPA says

DARKE COUNTY — Multiple train cars containing a highly flammable liquid derailed in Darke County Tuesday afternoon.

After 12:20 p.m., Greenville police and fire were called to the intersection of State Route 571 near SR 49 and the Shell gas station on reports of a train derailment.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was on the scene working to determine the extent of the damage and hazards the derailment caused.

A spokesperson for the Ohio EPA said the train was going 10 miles per hour when it derailed.

Ten train cars derailed, three of which contained ethanol.

The Ohio EPA said no chemicals were released and due to the slow speed of the train there was minimal damage to the cars.

There is some damage to the roadway, however.

As of 9:00 p.m. the last of the empty cars were cleared from the site.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Tanker cars carrying ethanol derail in Darke County

The rest of the derailed cars are scheduled to be removed by midnight Tuesday, the Ohio EPA said.

This is sooner than the original timeline of Wednesday morning.

“We were originally told that the crews would be coming in the morning to do this process during the daylight and then within less than two hours of that, we were updated that they were sending crews immediately,” Greenville Fire Chief Russ Thompson said.

We will continue to update this story.

1 of 22