Environmental damage feared from Barwick Mills fire

LaFayette, Ga. -- The focus has shifted from containing the fire at the old Barwick Mills plant to figuring out the environmental impact of the blaze.

Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency have been on the scene all day running tests as smoke continues to rise from the massive building in downtown LaFayette.

The EPA is trying to determine what chemicals may have been released during the fire, which started Saturday afternoon.

Preliminary results indicate that the air quality is OK, city manager David Hamilton said. But he added that a complete EPA summary has not been completed.

Hamilton praised the LaFayette community for its support of firefighters. Crews from the LaFayette Fire Department remained on the scene Sunday afternoon as smoke, visible from north of town, continued to billow.

This is a developing story. See tomorrow's Times Free Press for more.

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