Home Care In Sulphur, KY

MOUNT VERNON, Ky. — A train derailed and spilled molten sulfur in a remote part of eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, prompting officials to encourage residents of a small town to evacuate amid concerns about air quality.

Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that local officials in Rockcastle County were encouraging residents of Livingston, with a population of about 200, to evacuate. News outlets reported that a shelter was opened at a local middle school.

The derailment involving 16 cars happened around 2:30 p.m., according to Bryan Tucker, a spokesperson for railroad operator CSX. Two of the derailed cars were carrying molten sulfur, which caught fire after the cars were breached.

"Specialized equipment has been deployed to conduct air monitoring in the area as molten sulfur is known to release sulfur dioxide when it burns," CSX said Thursday in a statement. "Our immediate focus is on safely extinguishing the fire."

The fire that started as a result of the derailment is 50% contained, NBC affiliate WLEX of Lexington, Kentucky, reported.

Sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory problems, depending on the concentration and length of exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency website said on its website. The gas is commonly produced by burning fossil fuels at power plants and other industrial processes, the EPA says.

Amounts of sulfur dioxide were above 5 parts per million in some areas near the spill, and above 2 parts per million in the city of Livingston, CSX officials said Thursday.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy adults experience airway resistance when sulfur dioxide reaches 5 parts per million, and respiratory protection is required for exposures at or above 20 parts per million.

Officials told reporters Thursday that the evacuation order was advised because the fire from the derailment was causing a lot of smoke, which meant that people would be able to smell the sulfur dioxide in the air and experience symptoms as a result.

"[Evacuation] wasn't mandated but we went to each one of the homes twice and highly recommended that they evacuate," said a government spokesperson. "Some people chose to stay at home: that was totally their own decision."

Air monitoring will continue as long as the chemicals remain in place at the derailment site.

Two other cars involved in the derailment were carrying magnesium hydroxide, but CSX said they were not breached. The remaining cars were either empty or carrying non-hazardous products like grain or plastic, according to the statement.

WKYT-TV reported that one crew member was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Beshear declared a state of emergency in the county.

“By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe,” Beshear said.

He urged people to avoid the area to allow state and local officials to respond.

CSX is supplying food and other necessities to the communities that have been affected by the spill. About 112 people and their 40 pets were forced to spend Thanksgiving in hotel rooms in Mount Vernon, railroad operator CSX said during a Thursday afternoon news conference. They are being hosted in 91 hotel rooms provided by the company.

Natalie Kainz

Natalie Kainz is a news associate for NBC News.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

(CNN) — Authorities encouraged people in central Kentucky to evacuate on the eve of Thanksgiving after more than a dozen freight train cars derailed, spilling molten sulfur and sparking a fire that was still only 5 percent contained by Thursday morning, officials said.

At least 16 cars were involved in the derailment north of Livingston, “including two molten sulphur cars that have been breached and have lost some of their contents which is on fire,” the train’s operator, CSX, said in statement Wednesday. Livingston is a small city roughly 60 miles south of Lexington.

When molten sulfur burns, it releases sulfur dioxide, CSX said. Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas with a strong scent. Depending on the level of exposure, it can cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat – while exposure to its liquid form could cause frostbite, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Specialized equipment is being deployed to conduct air monitoring in the area,” CSX added.

“Response efforts for the incident are ongoing, and local officials are encouraging those in the town of Livingston to evacuate,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said in a statement Wednesday. CNN has reached out to Rockcastle County officials for more information.

By Thursday morning, 50% of the fire had been contained but residents of the area who had evacuated were not being allowed to return home, Kentucky Emergency Management spokesperson Jordan Yuodis told CNN.

“Due to the train derailment, many families in Livingston … will be displaced for Thanksgiving. Please think about them and pray for a resolution that gets them back in their homes,” Beshear said on Facebook Thursday morning.

The Environmental Protection Agency is monitoring sulfur dioxide levels in the county, EPA on-site coordinator Matthew Huyser told reporters Thursday. The derailment caused increased levels in the immediate area, but those levels have decreased as the fire is being extinguished, he said.

The EPA’s website said short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult, especially for children and people with asthma.

Huyser did not provide sulfur dioxide levels measured overnight but said the goal is to reach levels of zero. “It appears that the firefighting efforts have been successful in reducing and quite eliminating the hazards that are being measured,” he said.

CSX said it will provide food, shelter and Thanksgiving dinner for the displaced families.

Linda Todd said she evacuated her Livingston home Wednesday after she was warned of safety concerns.

“I was freaking out because I said, ‘We are cooking, we got turkeys in the ovens. We can’t leave.’ They were like, ‘You have to go, it is a bad situation. You have to go,’” Todd told CNN affiliate WYMT.

Beshear declared a state of emergency in response to the derailment, and his office said the state’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated.

“By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe,” Beshear said. “Please stay clear of this area as state, local and CSX officials respond.”

The derailment happened just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, CSX said. The train derailed between Mullins Station and Livingston, the Rockcastle County sheriff told CNN affiliate WKYT. One member of the two-person crew was treated at the scene for minor injuries, the train company said.

Two of the other cars that derailed were carrying magnesium hydroxide, but there was no indication they were breached, CSX said Thursday. The other impacted cars were carrying non-hazardous products or were empty.

The crash led officials to shut down US 25 in both directions from the Laurel County line to Calloway Branch Road, and it’s unclear when it will reopen, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for District 8 said in a social media post Wednesday evening.

CSX said it was working with local officials to secure the scene and is developing a recovery plan.

“CSX encourages residents in proximity to the incident that are concerned about their safety to utilize the lodging that the company has secured in Mt. Vernon, KY,” the company said. “In addition to the hotels, CSX teams is working with local restaurants to provide meals for affected residents.”

Correction: A previous version of this report misstated the agency Jordan Youdis represents. He is the public information officer for Kentucky Emergency Management.

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Wednesday after a train derailed in Livingston and spilled chemicals that caught on fire, sending plumes of smoke into the air.

At least 16 cars of a southbound CSX train were involved in the derailment which happened at about 2:23 p.m. just north of the tiny town of 400 residents in Rockcastle County, CSX said.

Two of those train cars were carrying molten sulfur which leaked out during the derailment and ignited, according to the company. When molten sulfur burns, it often releases sulfur dioxide, which can be toxic.

Residents of Livingston and Piney Branch were encouraged to evacuate as the Rockcastle County judge/executive also declared a state of emergency for the county.

Officials went door-to-door urging people to leave the area, local CBS News affiliate station WKYT reported.

Many families were preparing for Thanksgiving when they were told about the evacuations.

They were ushered to Rockcastle County Middle School, where Red Cross officials transformed its gym into an emergency shelter with dozens of cots.

“It’s overwhelming, it’s scary, it’s unpredictable,” a woman at the gym-turned-shelter told the local news station. “We don’t know how long we’re gonna be here, what’s gonna happen. Our homes are empty. It’s [the] holidays. It just makes you wanna cry.”

CSX said it is deploying specialized equipment to monitor air quality in the area and is in close contact with Rockcastle County emergency officials.

The company also said it would cover the cost of hotels and restaurants for affected residents.

Beshear, meanwhile, said the statewide emergency order allows the state to activate resources like Kentucky Emergency Management and the Kentucky National Guard and deploy them to the county as needed.

“By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe,” Gov. Beshear said in a statement. “Please stay clear of this area as state, local and CSX officials respond.”

US 25 is closed in both directions between the Laurel County line and Calloway Branch Road, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said.

One CSX crew member was treated at the scene of the derailment for minor injuries, according to WKYT.

Last winter, a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents before authorities conducted a controlled burn.

Rockcastle County, Ky – A train has derailed in Rockcastle County, resulting in a confirmed chemical spill, evacuating people from their homes and prompting Governor Andy Beshear to issue a state of emergency.

Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency following a multiple-car train derailment that occurred in Rockcastle County on Wednesday afternoon.

Read more: https://t.co/F134NQ7xzb pic.twitter.com/mtSrYCWsl8

— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) November 23, 2023

At least 16 cars are off-track after the train derailed north of Livingston, KY around 2:23pm on Wednesday, including two molten sulphur cars that were breached and have lost some of their contents, which are on fire, that’s according to CSX.

Adding that when molten sulphur burns it is known to release sulphur dioxide.

“We don’t know, is it a day? Is it two weeks? Who knows? I have no clue. I guess nobody does right now,” says Cindy Bradley, who was evacuated from her home in Livingston.

Concern and panic continue throughout the area in Rockcastle County, evacuating many from their homes just before Thanksgiving. Evelyn Gray had just moved in with her boyfriend Michael on Piney Branch Road.

“I’ve been unpacking and working and putting stuff away and I sit down on the couch to rest a little bit and then he comes flying in the house and yells at me and he says, We gotta go we gotta go,” says Gray.

Gray says she immediately concerned by the way her boyfriend returned to their home.

“As soon as he opened the back door to come in the chemical hit me and I had a real bad asthma attack. I do suffer from asthma,” added Gray.

Cindy Bradley lives in Livingston, she recalled the startling experience.

“We were in our homes, it was quiet. The next thing we hear is wham, wham, wham. Three hard knocks. It’s Sandy Singleton, the Commissioner of Livingston, and she says you’ve got to get out. You’ve got to go now. It’s bad. You’re being evacuated,” she says.

Adding that it is a mix of emotions with evacuations coming just hours before thanksgiving also noting some may need more assistance than others.

“I just cooked everything. It’s like we’re having Thanksgiving tomorrow, I guess we’re not. But it was just really scary. Because we don’t know how long this is. This could be tonight. It could be three weeks. Who knows? Our homes are empty. People are scared. There’s elderly people with oxygen. People needed medicine. If they didn’t bring it. It’s just a scary situation all the way around,” she also says.

Temporary shelter was also set up on Wednesday night at Rockcastle County middle school.

Traffic Alert Rockcastle County: U.S. 25 is currently blocked both directions between the Laurel County line (mile point 0) to Calloway Branch Road (mile point 7) due to a train derailment. Estimated duration is currently unknown. pic.twitter.com/M45xHYL474

— Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 8 (@KYTCDistrict8) November 23, 2023

16-car CSX train derailed in Livingston, spilling molten sulphur which then caught fire

Residents of a Kentucky town that was evacuated en masse after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed have now been told they can safely return home.

On the evening before Thanksgiving, residents in the small, remote town of Livingston in Kentucky were told to leave their homes after 16 cars on a 40-car CSX train derailed that afternoon.

Two of the cars were carrying molten sulphur and caught fire, releasing sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency in the county and an evacuation order was issued. Meanwhile, the US Route 25 was closed in both directions through Thursday.

After spending the Thanksgiving holiday eating a dinner supplied by the rail company in a local middle school and a church – and spending the night in the school hall or locals hotels – the roughly 200 residents of the town were able to return home.

CSX made the announcement on Thursday afternoon after the rail company and emergency officials spent hours putting out the fire.

Special air monitoring equipment was then used to determine that the area was safe for residents to return home.

Mr Beshear confirmed on X that the residents could spend the remainder of the holiday back in their houses.

“Thank you to the first responders who worked hard to put out the fire at the train derailment site in Rockcastle County,” he wrote.

“While there is still work to be done, we are thankful for the good news that our families in Livingston are able to spend the rest of Thanksgiving at home.”

An outreach centre has been opened in a local gymnasium to help families back into their homes.

From Sunday, CSX will also be reimbursing residents for any wage losses and out-of-pocket expenses caused by the incident – and will still be supplying food and lodging as needed.

Residents had previously spoken of their disappointment that they had to leave their homes for the holidays.

Linda Todd told WYMT she was in the middle of preparing her Thanksgiving feast for the next day when she was told to leave immediately by a local official.

“I was freaking out because I said, ‘We are cooking, we got turkeys in the ovens. We can’t leave.’ They were like, ‘You have to go, it is a bad situation. You have to go,’” she said.

Evelyn Gray, another resident, said she was instantly impacted by the toxic chemical when an official opened her back door to tell her to evacuate.

“As soon as he opened the back door to come in, the chemical hit me, and I had a real bad asthma attack,” Ms Gray told WTVQ-TV.

Sulphur dioxide can harm the human respiratory system, making breathing difficult and damaging the lungs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. People with asthma, particularly children, can be very sensitive to exposure.

Work crews are still clearing up the molten sulphur from the ground and shifting the derailed cars to restore the area completely.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, CSX said in its latest statement.