Matfield Green ? Authorities evacuated about 15 homes Thursday night in an area around Highway 177 in Chase County after a train derailed, spilling sulfur dioxide, authorities said.

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train, headed from Dayton, Texas, to Galesburg, Ill., derailed at 5:55 p.m. in a rural area about five miles east of Matfield Green, said Steve Forsberg, a spokesman for the railroad.

A string of 28 cars in the middle of the train jumped the tracks as the train was slowing to a stop after dispatchers told the crew about a tornado warning in the area, Forsberg said.

Both the Chase County Sheriff’s Department and Forsberg said weather may have been a factor in the derailment.

Jim Schmidt, director of emergency management for Butler County, said there was an initial report of one injury, the severity of which was not immediately known.

KFDI radio in Wichita reported several people were injured from inhaling the gas.

Forsberg said the sulfur dioxide was leaking from a derailed car.