Evacuation lifted after N.C. chemical fire

Air, water to still be monitored
Onsite tests did not indicate immediate or long-term risks for Apex residents, said Rick Lowe, the Wake County environmental services director. Local, state and federal officials will continue to monitor the site for hazards to the air and water, he said.

A team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board was also expected to arrive later in the day.

The company will be responsible for the cleanup, Haraway said.

Also Friday, two Apex residents filed suit in state court against EQ, seeking damages for the loss of use and enjoyment of their property. The suit, which seeks class-action status, also asks for punitive damages and an order directing EQ to pay for environmental and medical testing.

In March, the state fined EQ $32,000 for six violations at the plant, including failing to take steps to “minimize the possibility of a sudden or non-sudden release of hazardous waste ... which could threaten human health or the environment.”

Doyle cautioned the violations might not have had anything to do with the fire, and the state said the company had passed a required inspection as recently as Sept. 28-29.

Last year, a similar fire at one of the company’s plants in Romulus, Mich., drove about 2,000 people from their homes and sent at least 32 people to hospitals for treatment.

An investigation is still active, said Robert McCann, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. He said in an e-mail that extensive damage from the fire had made it difficult to determine a cause and whether there were any violations at the plant.

MORE FROM LIFE

Life Section Front

NYT: Hunger in U.S. at a 14-year high Mich. caseworkers fear for safety Facebook’s ‘unfriend’ is Word of the Year FAA splits Hudson airspace into 2 zones Census: Small cities lose luster in downturn U.S. charities may not have a happy holiday Idaho boy kills bear that wouldn’t leave porch Used shoes gain traction in poor countries Life Section Front   Add Life headlines to your news reader: