Half of Apex, North Carolina's, 32,000 residents have been advised to evacuate Friday after explosions and fire at a hazardous waste plant released noxious gases over the town and flames 150 feet high. "There are pesticides, oxides, chlorine gases, there are all grades of contaminated material in this fire and in this smoke," Apex town manager Bruce Radford said. People "are putting themselves in very grave danger by being near or around this smoke. If you see smoke, get away from it." No deaths have been reported, but more than 100 people have been hospitalized. A hazardous materials team from nearby Raleigh was waiting until daybreak to assess the damage. Officials said they didn't know what sparked the fire, but The Associated Press quoted Mayor Keith Weatherly who said flames jumped the plant site and appeared to have burned four petroleum tanks belonging to another company. That likely accounted for the explosions, Weatherly said. A yellow haze lingered over downtown and there was a faint smell of chlorine in the air, The Associated Press reported. Police lined up along the main street that runs through the town's business district, blocking both ends of the road, according to AP.
