Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Kentucky and Indiana this weekend as two different factory fires raised fears of toxic smoke.
On Sunday, people were evacuated within a one-mile radius of a factory fire in Annville (Jackson County), Kentucky. The blaze ignited at Midsouth Electric, an electronics company.
On Friday, some 5,000 people were evacuated from a two-mile area around a recycling plant that caught fire near Anderson, Indiana. They were allowed back home on Saturday.
Fire crews were concerned about toxic fumes from magnesium in the plant, according to a police dispatcher.
Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took air quality tests before allowing people home.
The fire may take days to burn itself out. Putting water on a magnesium fire can cause flare-ups or explosions. A magnesium fire can only be extinguished by dry materiels, such as sand.
The fire ignited at Advanced Magnesium Alloys Corp. at 5 p.m. Friday. No injuries were reported.
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