Thousands Flee Toxic Cloud Near Montreal

V A U D R E U I L-D O R I O N, Quebec, July 17 -- An explosion and fire at a chemical plant sent up a cloud of toxic smoke outside Montreal onSunday, prompting thousands of nearby residents to leave their homes.

By morning, all but a few hundred of the estimated 5,000 evacuees were told it was safe to return home.

The blaze erupted in a building believed to contain up to 6,500gallons of toxic chemicals, including sulfuric and nitric acid,about 16 miles west of Montreal.

Though the blaze raged into this morning, tests detected noserious environmental damage and most residents were told theycould return home shortly before 5 a.m.

“Only a few hundred people in one particular neighborhood arebeing told to stay away,” said Wilfrid Houle, a Vaudreuil-Dorionpolice official.

No injuries were reported. The Regent Chemical acid-transformation plant was closed when the firebegan. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Battling the Blaze

About 100 firefighters from four neighboring municipalities were battling the blaze, but a lack of water was making the task extremely difficult. “I’m not going to risk my firemen for a building that hasnobody in it,” said Harold Harvey, deputy fire chief forVaudreuil-Dorion.

“We tried our best with the water we had and the equipment wehad, but it overpowered us, so we beat a retreat.”Harvey said he did not know how long it would take to put thefire out, but said fires at similar factories in the United Stateshave burned for a day or two.

Authorities began trucking earth and sand to the site toprepare for any spill of acid-contaminated water. They alsoplanned to use truckloads of lime to neutralize any spilledacid.

Toxic Cloud

The thick cloud of smoke floated westward, visible for miles.

“I passed through the smoke and it just attacks your eyes andthroat,” said St-Lazare Mayor Bertrand Myre. The bulk of the evacuees were from his community.

Harvey said there was no immediate danger to the public otherthan symptoms such as irritated eyes or throats.