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LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office said nearly 30 arrests were made during an illegal “street takeover” over the weekend.

The sheriff’s office said the “street takeover” took place on Mountville Road and White Plains Road on Saturday. It was widely advertised online beforehand.

A neighbor reports at least 75 people showed up

The neighbor said, “There was a large crowd, but they were not just in the road. They were also going down the side of the road. They had like easy pop tints. I mean, it looked like a party, but they were all the way across the road completely blocking the road.”

During the event, the sheriff’s office said 29 arrests were made.

“Not every event advertised on social media is a good idea. This was one of them,” the sheriff’s office said.

According to the sheriff’s office, the Roadway Protection and Safety Act makes it illegal to participate in, organize, be a spectator, aider or abettor of a street takeover.

This bill was passed to “curb the dangerous trend of coordinated groups blocking intersections, highways, and commercial parking lots for reckless driving exhibitions such as burnouts, drifting, and donuts,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said people were seen standing in the roadway while multiple ATVs, cars and sports bikes performed drag racing, stunt maneuvers, burnouts, and donuts. The roadway was completely blocked and shut down.

“A little friendly advice: If you’re planning illegal activity, posting an invitation for everyone to see probably isn’t going to work out for you,” the sheriff’s office said.

According to the sheriff’s office, “street takeovers” are dangerous, impede traffic, encourage reckless behavior and turn public roads into a playground. This is setting the scene for someone to get seriously hurt.

Several of the people arrested did not live in Mountville and several live outside the county, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Our deputies will continue to respond to these events and hold those responsible accountable. Public roadways are not for reckless stunts. Think twice before making the drive to Laurens County to participate in something that ends with blue lights and jail,” said Laurens County Sheriff Don Reynolds.

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CROSS HILL, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Laurens County Fire Service reported that emergency responders are on the scene of a multi-car train derailment that occurred early Monday.

Officials said the incident happened around 5:20 a.m. after 17 train cars were derailed near Whitten Road in Laurens County and near Greenwood County. Six of those train cars have the capability to safely contain hazardous material.

CSX launched a hazmat team to inspect the six train cars and confirmed that they did not contain hazardous materials, officials said. This derailment did not result in a hazardous spill and there is no threat of contamination from hazardous materials.

Greenwood County officials reported white material released from one rail car has been identified as sodium borate, an ingredient in laundry detergent. It is classified as non-hazardous material for transport.

CSX is working to remove the material through operations designed to prevent impacts to the environment, including a skid steer and vacuum truck, officials said.

At this time, no spills have been reported into Lake Greenwood. A containment boom will be deployed in the water as make sure there are not any residual impacts. Officials said the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is managing boat traffic on the lake near the lower train trestle.

CSX crews have been working to restore the train tracks on Monday night, officials said. These These repair efforts are expected to continue throughout the afternoon and into Tuesday evening.

Officials said the last step of this restoration process consists of reparations to the bridge. Pile drivers have been transported to the incident site to complete this final step. Additionally, turbidity curtains have been placed in the water to contain any debris that may fall into Lake Greenwood during this step.

Nearby residents are advised that the work conducted by the pile drivers may produce noticeable, temporary noise, officials said.

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Emergency crews and environmental monitoring teams are on the scene in Laurens County after a multi-car CSX train derailment near Lake Greenwood early Monday morning.

First responders were called to the scene near Cross Hill and Whitten Road around 5:20 a.m. Monday after 17 train cars were derailed. CSX crews are working to clear the derailment.

No injuries or hazardous spills have been reported. However, Greenwood County said that a white material was released from one rail car and has been identified as sodium borate, an active ingredient that can be found in laundry detergent. The county said they do not believe any material from the spill has reached Lake Greenwood.

According to Greenwood County officials, an environmental cleanup firm is on-site and confirmed that all derailed railcars were empty. The firm will remain in the area throughout the cleanup process to monitor environmental conditions.

Also, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is directing boat traffic around the lower train trestle on Lake Greenwood. As of 10 a.m. only one of the elevated openings beneath the train trestle is open for boat passage.

According to Laurens County, all residents located on the south side of the train tracks that run perpendicular to Whitten Road will be unable to travel on Whitten Road until the scene is clear. The county also said that many residents in the area may have received a "Shelter in Place" alert. The alert was not released as a result of an immediate threat to safety but to inform residents that an incident has occurred and leaving the area is not possible at this time. However, emergency personal can reach residents if an issue arises.

County officials are asking the public to avoid the area while cleanup operations continue.

CSX and environmental crews expect to remain on-site throughout the day to remove the derailed equipment and inspect the track.

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