Fire hits chemical plant in Australia

SYDNEY — Emergency services were battling a huge chemical fire in the Australian capital Canberra on Friday although concerns over the spread of toxic smoke plumes were diminishing, officials said.

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE . . .A pillar of black smoke rises from a fire at a chemical plant in the Canberra industrial area of Mitchell on September 16, 2011. AFP

Around 100 nearby residents were evacuated and people within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) radius of the northern industrial suburb of Mitchell were told to stay indoors and keep windows closed, the Emergency Services Authority said.

Reports said that during the night flames leapt hundreds of meters into the air, with people woken by a series of explosions and fireballs.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Emergency Services Authority (ESA) said a by-product of the substance being burned at the chemical recycling plant was acrid black smoke plumes that could contain phosgene.

Phosgene can cause irritation to skin and eyes, nausea, dizziness, vomiting and chest pain.

But ESA Commissioner Mark Crosweller said initial readings of air quality were encouraging.

“The readings are looking good,” he said.

“The inversion layer that we’ve had overnight is lifting, that’s allowing the smoke to actually rise and disperse.”

The blaze, which could be seen from several kilometers away, caused traffic chaos with roads closed, bus services cancelled and schools shut.

It was not immediately clear what started the fire.