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Evacuation Lifted Near Jefferson County Derailment Site

Authorities have lifted an evacuation order for homes near an area where crews are cleaning up after a train derailed. The Courier-Journal reports that residents were allowed to return to their homes Thursday night and that Dixie Highway, which had been closed, was reopened.

The evacuation of 31 homes was ordered so that workers could remove hazardous chemicals away from the site. A previous evacuation emptied the town of West Point, which required hundreds of people to leave their homes when a chemical fire erupted.

Louisville Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Jody Duncan said the hazardous chemicals were loaded into different tankers and sent to their original destination. Crews are continuing to clean up the site.