Factory fire leads to evacuation; no injuries reported

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- A factory where workers paint hunting decoys caught fire Tuesday afternoon, causing people who live near the building in this far southern Illinois town to evacuate their homes, officials said.

No one was injured, and the fire at the Higdon Decoys factory was out by evening, Metropolis Fire Chief Mike Childress said.

Some residents were initially evacuated to escape the heavy smoke, Childresss said.

Officials were concerned that chemicals at the plant would emit toxic fumes.

But at about 2 p.m., the local director of the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, O.D. Troutman, said no hazardous chemicals were involved in the fire.

A cause has not been determined, Childress said. Four nearby fire departments responded to the fire.