SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): According to officials, the fire at eastern Indiana plastics recycling facility has been fully extinguished. It must be noted that firefighters have been battling the fire for more than two days. However, the blaze at the Richmond plant raised concerns over the safety precautions at the site.

According to Richmond Mayor Dave Smith, it will now collect air and water samples in order to arrive at a decision as to when the evacuation order could be lifted. It is still unclear when evacuated residents will be allowed to return home. The officials expect the smoldering site for burn for several days.

It must be noted that thousands of people residing within a half-mile radius of the plant are still under evacuation orders. Also, the Richmond public schools remained closed for the second straight day following the fire incident.

The fire was 90% out as of Thursday afternoon, said Tim Brown, Richmond Fire Department Chief.

The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has been monitoring air quality at 15 locations around the site. It has not detected any toxic compounds until now. However, the state fire marshal warned that the smoke plumes are definitely toxic. The presence of toxic chemicals from incinerated plastics could pose long-term health risks to residents, if exposed to them.