Lurgan, Co Armagh, returned to normal yesterday after a fire in a chemical-filled storeroom raised fears of an explosion on Saturday night.
The Fire Service had maintained a 200-metre evacuation zone around a chemical factory because of concerns of a possible gas explosion, but earlier yesterday residents were given the all-clear to return to their homes.
The fire began in a storeroom in Watson's Lane at about 7.30 p.m. Residents reported hearing a massive explosion which was followed by thick black smoke. Police closed the town centre to traffic and evacuated buildings within a 400-metre radius.