A chemical leak from a railcar in Cleves left many locals in a frenzy Tuesday afternoon as shelter-in-place and evacuation orders were issued.
Residents of Hooven, a census-designated place in Whitewater Township bordering the village of Cleves, were told to leave their homes when their cellphones started blaring alerts warning of the styrene leak at the railyard. Those within a half-mile radius of the train car were told to vacate, and those within three-quarters of a mile had to stay in their homes.
Latest: Air quality not an issue in area of styrene leak at Cleves railyard, officials say
According to 911 calls made to Hamilton County Communications Center and dispatch logs, crews were quick to arrive to the scene – within minutes of the first report of the hazmat incident was made by a man commuting on U.S. 50.
A total of 12 agencies responded to the scene Tuesday to help the efforts. The leak stopped overnight, but crews are still dealing with the aftermath Wednesday.
Here's what computer aided dispatch logs and 911 call recordings obtained by The Enquirer tell us about what happened the day of the chemical leak:
911 caller: 'Tremendous' chemical smell noticed in Hooven
At 12:47 p.m., a man called in from U.S. 50 and state Route 128 near the Kroger in Whitewater Township. He told the dispatcher a stationary train on the eastbound tracks was giving off a chemical smell that resembled the odor of spray paint.
"I think there's a train that's off-gassing some stuff it shouldn't be," the man said. "I thought it was smoke, but it's not smoke. It's chemicals."
What is styrene? What to know about the toxic chemical spurring Cleves evacuation
A woman dialed 911 and told the dispatcher of a strong chemical smell she noticed from her Hooven Avenue home.
"There is a tremendous smell over here," she said. "I don't know if somebody is making meth, but it smells like paint fumes or nail polish remover."
Officials close off roads, begin cooling railcar tank as vapor cloud forms
By 1 p.m., first responders told dispatchers they needed to block off U.S. 50 at Kilby Road, as well as state Route 128. The sheriff's office was notified to shut down the roads.
Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency was contacted just before 1:30 p.m. to implement the evacuation and shelter-in-place orders in and around Hooven. The agency sent out the public notification within a few minutes.
The "smoke" was seen traveling up a hill directly over Hooven. Crews just before 2 p.m. began applying water on the railcar tank using a fire hydrant at U.S. 50 and state Route 128, due to the "very substantial" chemical leak.
Cleves Water Works was called in to open up an additional water pump, as firefighters noted they needed a larger volume of water on the railcar in order to cool it down.
Three Rivers schools were evacuated in the afternoon .
Kroger evacuated after bad smell reported outside, two ambulances respond
The train stopped on the eastbound tracks across U.S. 50 from the Kroger store in Hooven. According to the CAD log, a bad smell was reported on the back side of the store at 1:29 p.m.
The store was evacuated and shut down right after that. Kroger was told to shut off its air conditioning system.
Two ambulances were sent to the east side of the building, according to dispatch logs. It is not clear if anyone was taken to the hospital and how many people were treated or transported.
Crews continue applying water as temperature increases in tank car
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources requested to be notified if animals or waterways became impacted. That was at 3:49 p.m. The department was told no waterways or animals were impacted at that time, but officials would notify them if they were affected.
Drones were deployed to monitor the temperature of the tank. It's not clear how hot it got, but the temperature was still increasing by 5:07 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A 'tremendous smell': Dispatch logs detail chaotic scene at Cleves railcar styrene leak
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