The Associated Press

APEX, N.C.  — The U.S. Chemical Safety Board on Wednesday called for a new national fire code for hazardous waste processing plants based on its study of a 2006 chemical fire at a North Carolina facility.

Federal officials released a report that determined the EQ Industrial Services Inc. plant in Apex lacked tools to control fires when it erupted into flames. The facility didn't have firewalls and suppression systems to stop the blaze from spreading, and officials said it wasn't prepared for after-hours fires.

"As a result, the fire spread quickly into other bays where flammables, corrosives, laboratory wastes, paints and pesticides were stored," said CSB Supervisory Investigator Rob Hall.

The blaze engulfed the plant the night of Oct. 5, 2006, lighting up the sky with explosions and blanketing parts of Apex in a haze. Town officials urged as many as 17,000 people to evacuate the Raleigh suburb, citing potentially toxic fumes.

No one was injured but about 30 people were treated for respiratory problems. Residents were allowed to return home two days later.

Firefighters couldn't fight the blaze overnight because EQ officials were unable to immediately provide a list of chemicals stored at the site.

On Wednesday, the chemical board called on plant operators to provide more information about chemicals inside their facilities.

"Then the fire department has an opportunity to get to the fire while it's small, and they have the information they need to safely enter and deal with the fire while it's small," Hall said.

The investigation into the fire at the EQ plant determined a small fire originated in a storage bay and unspent oxygen generators accelerated the blaze. But the problems didn't stop at EQ. The safety board said a pair of Alabama companies, including Mobile Aerospace Engineering, failed to properly handle the generators before shipping them to EQ.

Chemical oxygen generators are used to provide the oxygen in drop-down masks on commercial airplanes if cabins depressurize. Unexpended generators in the cargo hold of ValuJet Flight 592 were blamed for the 1996 crash in Florida that killed 110 people.

EQ has agreed to pay more than $400,000 in penalties, fees and reimbursements since the fire. The Michigan-based company said in October that it would relinquish its permit for the Apex site.

William B. Wark, a member of the chemical safety board, said problems extend to other facilities. One-third of almost two dozen hazardous waste fires in the past five years have affected the public by evacuation or disruption, he said.