by Misty Severi
At least 31 freight train cars transporting the hazardous chemical molten sulfur were involved in a derailment in Kentucky early Tuesday morning. No injuries have been reported so far.
The derailment took place near the Kentucky and Tennessee border, according to Fox News, and several of the cars tipped onto their sides, causing debris to scatter across nearby fields.
One of the cars was transporting the molten sulfur, which is commonly used in industrial applications, such as fertilizer production. The chemical can cause severe thermal burns and release irritating gases such as sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide if disturbed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
WATCH: Aerial footage shows dozens of damaged cars piled up after 31-car CSX train derailment in Trenton, Kentucky https://t.co/z57bHtuOYC pic.twitter.com/Jn4fAF5lVz
— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) December 30, 2025
The incident prompted officials to issue a “shelter-in-place” order in Todd County, but the order has since been lifted. No cause of the derailment has been identified.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the derailment on X and said investigators with the Federal Railroad Administration and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are looking into the incident.
In one of Kentucky’s neighboring states, Ohio, a catastrophic train derailment occurred in 2023 when 53 Norfolk Southern train cars derailed in East Palestine, releasing toxic chemicals. A Cleveland State University study two years ago showed that the train derailment caused over $10 million in economic damage to the area.
In 2024, East Palestine and Norfolk Southern reached a $600 million settlement for the train derailment. The settlement was intended to compensate businesses and residents for the damage caused. On top of this settlement, Norfolk Southern also reached a $310 million settlement with the federal government.
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Misty Severi is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Kentucky Train Derailment” by Rapid Report.
