Students in two Beaver County school districts are being sent home early Monday as conditions surrounding a freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, continue to worsen.
Blackhawk and Western Beaver school districts, both near the Ohio state line, began dismissing students around noon. East Palestine officials requested early dismissals “pending the possible explosion ... due to the train derailment,” according to a post on Blackhawk’s Facebook page.
Blackhawk is about 9 miles from East Palestine, or a 15 minute drive. Western Beaver County is roughly 16 miles from the village, almost a 30 minute drive.
Crews have been investigating the train derailment since Friday, which sparked a massive fire that continues to burn and prompted an evacuation amid concerns that hazardous materials might make the air dangerous. No injuries were reported, but a state of emergency was declared by the mayor.
The condition worsened late Sunday when residents near the site of the derailment were urged to evacuate immediately because of the risk of an explosion, authorities said.
“Within the last two hours, a drastic temperature change has taken place in a rail car, and there is now the potential of a catastrophic tanker failure which could cause an explosion with the potential of deadly shrapnel traveling up to a mile,” Gov. Mike DeWine warned in a statement Sunday.
Blackhawk High School students were dismissed at 12:15 p.m. Middle schoolers will end their day at 12:45 p.m. and the primary and intermediate schools will dismiss at 1:15 p.m. After 3 p.m., any remaining students will be transported to the high school where parents can pick them up.
Western Beaver County began dismissals at noon. Elementary students will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m.
All evening activities at both districts are canceled, including a scheduled Blackhawk girls basketball game against Quaker Valley.
East Palestine School District is also closed for classes Monday.
First Published: February 6, 2023, 5:14 p.m.