A self-evacuation order has been lifted in the rural south-central Iowa community of Otley.
Earlier this week, a fire developed at a Two Rivers Cooperative facility where more than 1,000 tons of liquid fertilizers were stored. The co-op burned for several days, and the evacuation orders were in place to prevent residents from being exposed to the chemicals.
The Marion County Emergency Management Agency says the U.S. EPA has been conducting continuous air quality monitoring for four-hour periods as well as intermittent monitoring over a 17-hour period. Based on the data collected, air quality was deemed safe on Thursday. The fire has now extinguished, and all smoke has cleared.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
