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No signs of air, water contamination as fire burns at Chester County plastics company

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Air and water tests show no signs of contamination, according to officials, a day after a massive fire erupted at a plastics company in Chester County.

Sources told our South Carolina bureau reporter Greg Suskin that the fire started Monday morning in the scrapyard around several large storage areas at Carolina Poly along Highway 9.

Officials said five firefighters were taken to the hospital, four for heat exhaustion while the fifth suffered a minor ankle injury. All five have since been released from the hospital and are expected to be OK.

Authorities have not said what exactly caused the blaze but said pallets holding plastic outside the plant along with truck tires burned. Dozens of tractor-trailers parked outside plant were destroyed in the fire.

Evacuations had been ordered for the plant itself, but none for the surrounding homes or businesses. Nearly a dozen agencies were on the scene, including help from neighboring counties and North Carolina. Bulldozers also cut a firebreak so the flames wouldn’t spread to the woods or the plant.

By 5 p.m. Monday, officials said that while the fire still was burning, they had it contained. Crews were working to maintain the perimeter and make sure the flames do not jump the firebreaks.

Tuesday morning, emergency management officials said around 50 people were still on scene working to get the hot spots out. They will have to use heavy equipment to get to some of the spots.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has advised residents to stay away from the area because of the smoke generated by the fire but both DHEC and the EPA said that tests have shown no contamination.

“Odor is a primary indication that individuals need to move away from the vicinity of the fire,” Rhonda Thompson, Director of DHEC’s Bureau of Air Quality said. “For anyone near the industrial fire who can smell smoke or notice an odor that is not normally present, we recommend you temporarily leave the area.”

Officials said the chemical content of the smoke is different in an industrial fire compared to a wood fire. It is made up of particles, and no matter what is burning, it is unhealthy to breathe.

An ATF investigator from Charlotte was sent to the scene. Channel 9 has learned the plant in Chester County is owned by the same company that owns a plant near Dallas, Texas that caught fire last week.

The fires are similar in nature.

Officials said SLED and the Fire Marshall are working to conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire.

This is an ongoing investigation. Check back with wsoctv.com for more information.