SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — A shelter-in-place order has been lifted after a hazmat team determined there was no threat from the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train wreck near the town of Summerville.
The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post that the derailment was reported about 9:51 a.m. ET, with officials issuing the shelter-in-place order within a 1.5-mile radius of the scene while the incident was assessed. That order was lifted about 2:15 p.m. U.S. Route 78, adjacent to the derailment scene, remains closed. Summerville Mayor Russ Touchberry said in a short video that the shelter-in-place order had been issued “out of an abundance of caution” and that the highway was likely to remain closed “for quite some time.”
Norfolk Southern said in a statement that the derailment involved 22 cars; crew members were not injured. Among the derailed cars was a tank car used to transport chlorobenzene, but it was empty. Chlorobenzene, a colorless, flammable liquid, is a solvent in a wide variety of products ranging from dyes and herbicides to resins and rubber. It has caused drowsiness, headache, eye pain and sore throat in volunteers exposed to the material for a prolonged period, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Summerville is on NS’ Charleston District, approximately 25 miles northwest of Charleston.
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