Residents living near an industrial estate in Lismore, Co Waterford, who were evacuated following a serious fire will spend the night away from their homes.
The fire broke out late last night at a disused recycling unit owned by Samshire Recycling.
Gardaí said initial tests conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency showed no threat of asbestos but that those evacuated were advised not to return to their homes due to smoke in the area.
Earlier today, gardaí warned local residents to remain indoors and to close their windows as fears arose that asbestos fumes could be released. Residents from 20 homes were evacuated from the area.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, and gardaí said they were keeping an "open mind" on the cause.
Traffic diversions were in place today, and other units on the industrial estate did not open today.
The newly elected mayor of Lismore last Friday called for thousands of tonnes of rubbish to be moved out of the town.
Jan Rotte said recyclable waste has been left fester at the site for three years since the Samshire site went out of business and said that the site was now a serious health hazard for the town.
Speaking to The Irish Timesthis morning, he said that a smaller fire had broken out at the site on Tuesday night.
Waterford County Council has been pursuing the owner of the site through the courts, but the mayor said the town "shouldn't have to wait for a legal settlement for the rubbish to be removed".
"The county council claim they can't take action at the moment because of the legal process. Whether the fire changes anything I don't know. If an insurance company becomes involved as a result of the blaze then maybe the whole process will have to start again," said Mr Rotte.
Deputy mayor of Lismore Bernard Leddy said that he hoped that somebody would take responsibility for the site as soon as possible. Mr Leddy said he visited the scene, on the fringes of the town, and had spoken with local residents.
“People were palpably angry,” he said.
“It’s [the plant] adjacent to a new housing development. It’s also quite approximate to some of the older housing.
“The smoke that took off last night went across a field and covered one of the more mature streets where there are about 50 houses," added Mr Leddy. “It’s an absolute disaster in every sense.”
