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At approximately 8:00 am, an 80 car CSX train derailed in the town of Brooks, Kentucky. Brooks is about 25 miles south of Louisville, KY. A large number of tanker cars were involved in the derailment. Some of them carrying chlorine, cyclohexane, butadiene, maleic anhydride, and methyl ethyl ketone. As many as 15 cars are on fire. The temperature of the materials and integrity of the tank cars is not yet known. A one mile voluntary evacuation continues, that includes a number of schools, residences, and local businesses. An 18-mile stretch of interstate 65 is closed due to the fire
Two Region 4 OSC's, the Environmental Response Team (ERT), and START contractors are onscene and assessing the site. In addition, ATSDR, 2 OSC's from Region 5, a Region 4 PIO, Region 4's Mobile Command Post, the Coast Guard Strike Team, and EPA's Airborne Spectral Photographic Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT)* aircraft are enroute or currently onscene. EPA assets are integrated into a Unified Command.
EPA, CSX, and their contractors continue to do 24 hour air monitoring.
Local hospitals report approximately 60 people reporting to the hospital for treatment; national media interest is high.
Kentucky DEP reports a sheen on a local creek that is a tributary of the Salt River, which leads to the Ohio River.
The local evacuation has not been lifted.
