Emergency Services responding to rail car incident in Garnet area

At approximately noon on January 02, 2025, Haldimand County Emergency Services were notified of a potential leak in a rail car during an inspection at the rail yard in the Garnet area. The Fire Department worked with rail staff and a hazmat team, identifying a small leak in one of the tankers.

The hazmat team has been offloading the product overnight into a new rail car. This process requires the excess product to be flared off. Flaring is the practice of burning gas that would otherwise present a safety concern. The public may see a large flame and black smoke in the area; this is a normal part of the process and does not pose any danger to residents in the area. 

The offloading process will continue for most of the day today, and the Fire Department will remain on the scene to monitor operations. Residents are asked to stay away from the area of Yule Road between Concession 9 and Concession 8, just north of Jarvis.