WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) — A CSX freight train derailed outside Washington, D.C., Sunday morning and at least one of the overturned cars is leaking hazardous material.
The hazardous material reportedly leaking is sodium hydroxide, a chemical used in household products such as soap and detergents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the chemical, which is commonly known as lye, can cause skin and eye irritations and breathing problems.
CSX said no injuries have been reported.
Chris Vellum who lives nearby and his window looks directly over the tracks. “I thought it was like a semi-truck coming toward the building and when I looked out the window, I saw cars piling up,” said Nellum. He had just moved in the night before. “So I’m not even used to hearing trains. It was jarring,” ABC News reported.
Nellum said his girlfriend tried to leave the area, but was told to stay put. She eventually found a way out.
“She’s an environmentalist so she is very concerned about whatever is leaking,” Nellum said.
The train derailed near 9th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NE. Early reports from D.C. Fire and EMS are that nine to 10 cars overturned, WUSA9 reported.
D.C. Fire and EMS tweeted they had confirmed one derailed car leaking sodium hydroxide. The tweet said there have been no evacuations.
CSX officials said the train had three locomotives, 175 total cars, including 94 carrying mixed freight and 81 empty cars.
The incident spurred D.C. MetroRail to suspend train service between the NoMa and Brookland stations, the Washington City Paper reported. The area is also closed to traffic.
