Ferrous sulfate was leaked into the atmosphere from a train traveling through Kewanee, according to a news release from Kewanee Fire Chief Stephen Welgat.
On Friday, March 28, at 8:41 p.m., the Kewanee Fire Department was called to the 1500 block of Railroad Avenue for a possible hazardous materials incident involving a Burlington Northern/Santa Fe (BNSF) freight train.
The fire chief said that crews arrived on the scene to find the eastbound freight train stopped on the tracks, just east of the Kent Street crossing.
BNSF employees on the train had already contacted their employers who had in turn dispatched their own company safety team to respond to the scene, the news release said.
Out of precaution, the KFD and the Kewanee Police Department notified nearby residents. One resident who lives behind where the train was stopped told The Kewanee Voice that officials asked them to close their windows and stay inside.
After an investigation by the BNSF safety team, it was determined that a rail car carrying ferrous sulfate had a leak. The type of ferrous sulfate released is a powdery mineral commonly used as a nutrient/additive in agricultural feed. Hazards include skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation.
The KFD assisted in maintaining traffic and scene control as the safety team conducted operations of sealing the leak and cleaning up the spill product.
The Henry County Office of Emergency Management was also on the scene to help the BNSF safety team. Rail traffic was stopped until operations were finished.
Crews remained on the scene for approximately five hours, the Kewanee Fire Chief said.
