7 cars derail at Lake Township railyard

Workers clean up derailed cars at CSX's Stanley Yard in Lake Township. About 150 gallons of material spilled, but no one was injured in the incident that occurred about 1:40 a.m. yesterday.

Crews spent yesterday morning righting railroad cars after a derailment occurred at CSX's Stanley Yard in Lake Township.

No one was hurt in the incident, Lake Township firefighters said.

Railroad workers were switching tank cars about 1:40 a.m. yesterday when seven of them derailed, including five that overturned, at the Walbridge Road crossing near East Broadway.

Garrick Francis, a CSX spokesman, said the derailed tank cars contained styrene monomer, a highly flammable liquid used in manufacturing plastics.

He said there were no punctures in the cars, but liquid did leak out, necessitating a cleanup.

By early evening, the derailed cars all had been either re-railed or removed from the scene, but Walbridge Road remained closed while repair crews fixed damaged track.

Lake Township Police Chief Mark Hummer estimated about 150 gallons of the material spilled. There was no need for evacuations because the spill happened in an industrial area, the chief said.