Fire contained at N.C. waste plant

APEX, N.C. – Firefighters brought a raging chemical fire under control early today, more than a day after it filled the sky with a choking, noxious yellow haze, forcing hundreds of people to take shelter at schools.

Officials warned late Friday that the blaze could smolder into Sunday under the protection of twisted metal and unstable walls. But with the aid of heavy machinery, they removed the barrier and attacked the remaining hot spots.

Firefighters and area hazmat teams worked closely with an outside contractor hired to help fight the blaze, Fire Chief Mark Haraway said.

More than 17,000 people were urged to stay out of their homes after the fire and a thunderous series of explosions at the EQ Industrial Services plant late Thursday. No employees were believed to have been inside at the time.

Officials said 44 people went to emergency rooms, most complaining of breathing problems. Nearly all had been released by midday.

A timely rainstorm helped scrub the air, but Mayor Keith Weatherly said none of the evacuated residents would be allowed to return home until the blaze is fully extinguished.

“We want to err on the side of safety and not send anybody home,” Apex Fire Chief Mark Haraway said Friday.

The plant handles a variety of industrial wastes, including paints, solvents, pesticides and weed killer. Because of the dangers in that mix, firefighters waited for daybreak to determine how to attack the blaze and used a video camera to get a look at the burning building. Schools were closed, along with downtown Apex.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

About 25 employees work at the plant, but all had left by 7 p.m. Thursday, EQ spokesman Robert Doyle said.

State Department of Environment and Natural Resources officials said Friday afternoon their tests “had not detected anything out of the ordinary in the air,” and that water supplies downstream from the fire appeared to be safe, though they were still conducting additional tests.