Air contamination experts were called in to carry out monitoring tests in Limerick city yesterday following fears that asbestos was dispersed into the air following a huge fire at a tyre depot.
However, Limerick City Council said last night it was unlikely asbestos had been dispersed "to any significant degree".
Some 36 fire fighters from units in Limerick and Clare spent several hours battling the blaze that started shortly after midnight on Sunday at Midwest Tyres on the Dock Road.
Fire personnel from Limerick city, Cappamore, Rathkeale, Killaloe and Shannon worked through the night until the blaze was brought under control shortly before 7am yesterday.
Thousands of tyres and machinery were destroyed, with the cost of the damage likely to run into millions.
Nobody was injured, but there was major disruption to traffic when the Dock Road, one of the main arteries linking Limerick city with Cork, Kerry and Galway, was closed after the fire service identified asbestos in the roof of the premises.
The road reopened yesterday at lunchtime.
Limerick City Council's acting chief fire officer Fergal Stack said last night the council had consulted with the Health Service Executive, which obtained advice from the Health Protection Agency in the UK.
"The information from the UK was that asbestos in asbestos sheeting is unlikely to be dispersed into the atmosphere to any significant degree during a fire because of its fire-retardant properties."
He added: "The main requirement is that the area of the fire is cleaned up to remove any asbestos-containing materials after the fire. In the unlikely event that you find any materials which you suspect to be asbestos you should not touch it and should contact Limerick City Council for advice."
The council arranged for an independent consultancy company, OHSS, to carry out air monitoring yesterday afternoon.
OHSS confirmed no airborne asbestos particles were detected, and said the incident did not represent any asbestos risk to the public.
However, locals living near the fire were advised to stay indoors and to keep windows and doors closed as burning tyres contain compounds that can irritate the eyes and affect people with chest problems.
Fire service personnel continued to maintain a presence at the scene of the fire yesterday to further damp down the premises.
However, it may be several days before it is safe enough for Garda technical experts to carry out a full examination of the scene, according to Supt Frank O'Brien.
The director of Midwest Tyres, Brendan Walsh, said it could take weeks before the total cost of the damage was known.
A total of 16 people were employed at the Dock Road premises, and they are all to be redeployed to the company's other premises in Shannon and Raheen.