Police claim there are no injuries and no threats to the public, though traffic has been stopped on a nearby interstate for several hours.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is on the scene and also claims that there are no health threats to the community. No hazardous materials leaked.
Local Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) released a statement that included;
My team and I have been in touch with Supervisor Kevin McNamara, the Van Buren Fire Department, and other local officials regarding the train derailment in Van Buren Township. We are also in touch with the relevant federal authorities, including the EPA. At this time no one is aware of the release of any hazardous materials, the car carrying hazardous material has been put upright and is being removed from the area of the other derailed cars, and EPA is dispatching a team to ensure public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely and remain in touch with federal, state, and local officials, and release additional information as it becomes available.
This is the third train to derail this week and the fourth this month.
The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio has released chemicals into the air and water. Thousands of pets and livestock have dropped dead from the fumes. More than 3,500 fish have died in local waterways.
The dangerous chemical plume is floating down the Ohio River at about one mile per hour. Experts suggest the chemicals could dissipate before getting to Cincinnati.
Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, remained mute on the Ohio catastrophe for ten days but broke his silence to — astonishingly — blame Trump.