Shelter in place ordered for South Carolina residents as train derailment sparks hazmat situation and nasty gas smell
The derailment shut down a major South Carolina highway for hours before officials lifted the shelter order mid-afternoon.
Published: 23:19 GMT, 10 January 2026 | Updated: 23:23 GMT, 10 January 2026
A shelter-in-place order was issued for South Carolina residents within a 1.5-mile radius after a train derailment triggered a hazmat response amid fears of a possible chemical spill.
The derailment occurred around 9.50am at 2450 West 5th North Street, the local designation for US Highway 78, near the KION North America plant in Summerville.
Several train cars left the tracks, triggering a hazmat alert, the closure of Highway 78 between Jedburg Road and Industrial Road, and a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents.
Officials initially identified one of the derailed cars as a tank designed to carry chlorobenzene, a flammable industrial chemical that can be harmful if inhaled, raising concerns about a possible airborne release.
The National Institutes of Health describes the chemical as a colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive almond-like odor.
Prolonged exposure can affect the central nervous system and respiratory tract, potentially causing breathing difficulties, dizziness, and neurological symptoms.
State Senator Tom Fernandez warned on Facebook that if you smell chlorine 'like a pool,' you should get inside immediately and call 911, especially if you begin to cough, feel chest tightness, or feel your eyes burning.
Hazmat teams from Norfolk Southern and surrounding agencies rushed to the scene to assess the risk.
Emergency crews respond after a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near the KION North America plant in Summerville, South Carolina, triggering a hazmat alert and a temporary shelter-in-place order
Hazmat teams assess derailed train cars after officials feared a possible chemical release, prompting residents within a 1.5-mile radius to shelter in place
State Senator Tom Fernandez warned on Facebook that if you smell chlorine 'like a pool,' you should get inside immediately and call 911
Authorities later confirmed the tank car was empty at the time of the derailment and said no chemical leak occurred.
Dorchester County Fire Chief Tres Atkinson said there was 'no immediate danger to the public,' aside from the immediate area where crews were working to secure the derailed cars.
'We have determined that there's no immediate danger to the public other than immediate areas that we'll be working to mitigate the cars that have come off the track,' Atkinson said.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted around 2.15pm.
Officials urged residents to avoid the area or use alternate routes as cleanup continued.
Highway 78 is expected to remain closed overnight and into Sunday morning while Norfolk Southern carries out remediation efforts.