Inferno tamed after forcing evacuation in Ontario town

COBOURG, ONT. - Firefighters managed to control a huge blaze at a factory in southern Ontario late Monday, allowing hundreds of people to return home.

However, a state of emergency will stay in effect until at least noon Tuesday in Cobourg, about 100 kilometres east of Toronto.

Crews from at least four fire departments began battling the fire at the Horizon Plastics plant at mid-afternoon Monday.

The town declared a state of emergency in the early evening and asked hundreds of people to leave their homes and businesses, fearing toxic fumes.

By about 10:30 p.m., they had all been allowed to return home, after provincial environment officials said tests showed no hazardous chemicals in the air.

They said the wind was blowing the cloud of smoke away from populated areas and the flames were hot enough to burn off any toxins. All workers made it out of the factory and no injuries were reported, police said.

However, it's not yet clear what impact the fire will have on Horizon Plastics, which employs about 450 people and is the city's second-largest employer.

Fire disrupted power, gas services

When the fire first erupted, dozens of local firefighters – many of them volunteers – were met by a ferocious funnel cloud of flame.

The blaze was still out of control hours later, as scrambling emergency workers faced the danger of battling a huge chemical fire emitting potentially toxic fumes.

"Plastics fires are not a good thing to be at," one firefighter told CBC News.

"As far as the hazardous materials go, it's probably the worst."

The blaze forced nearby businesses and most schools to close and disrupted power and gas services.

A food bank is now considering throwing out its store of supplies, fearing contamination.

Officials aren't yet clear how the fire began in a storeroom of the large factory, which manufactures products ranging from children's toys to building supplies.

Provincial environment officials are investigating.