APEX, N.C.-
Business owners and work crews tried to clean up Sunday in and around what remained of a hazardous waste facility where a spectacular fire prompted widespread evacuations.
Pumping trucks removed potentially contaminated rainwater from the rubble of the EQ Industrial Services plant, which caught fire Thursday night. The fire was largely extinguished early Saturday.
Other crews were building a dirt barrier around the site to contain any contaminants.
EQ Vice President Scott Maris said no contaminated rainwater or surface runoff water left the site.
Said Robert Doyle, an EQ spokesman: “All the air monitoring has been and continues to be well below all the regulated health and safety standards.”
Nearby business owners returned Sunday with toxicologists and air monitoring specialists to make sure they could open Monday.
Some 17,000 residents were urged to leave town late Thursday when the plant burst into flames. They were allowed to return Saturday morning, after tests showed the air and water were safe.
The cause of the fire was still being investigated.
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