By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

A Union Pacific train derailment in Hays caused some home evacuations and a few road closures near downtown late Sunday afternoon.

“A little after 5 p.m. dispatch received a call from Union Pacific Railroad concerning a derailment they had near the intersection of Ninth and Milner,” said Kim Rupp, Hays public information officer.

“At this time there are three tanker cars off the tracks,” he said.

By 6:30 p.m. there was no immediate danger to the public, and no injuries had been reported.

“They do contain ethanol, however, there are no leaks, so there are no hazards to the public,” Rupp said.

While there was believed to be no immediate danger, some limited evacuations of housing were immediately conducted after the derailment in the vicinity as a precautionary measure.

The fire department set up a 300-foot perimeter, but no intersections were closed by 6 p.m.

The traveling public is asked to avoid the area and observe cones and barricades while the accident is being cleared, Rupp said.