AN investigation has been launched after 30 workers were evacuated when fire broke out at a chemical plant.

The blaze at William Blythe, in Manchester Road, Hapton, started at 6.30am.

Bosses at the plant said that there was no danger to employees on site and that any gas emissions would have been brought quickly under control by the plant's extraction system.

The fire affected part of the works which deals with iodine-based chemicals which are not flammable.

Five crews of firefighters and eight fiirefighters with breathing apparatus tackled the blaze. Police also attended the scene.

A spokesman for the company said no dangerous gases were emitted during the blaze and work was due to resume in other areas of the plant today. The plant makes inorganic chemical products for the chemical, water treatment and paper industries.

The fire started when a glass-lined vessel was being dried by steam.

Richard Gunston, operations director at the company which employs 70 people, said: "We are trying to start our detailed investigation.

"The fire started at 6.30am this morning on one of our plants that was operating. Emergency procedures were followed.

"The fire was detected on one of the product vessels in the plant and the emergency services came quickly and brought the fire under control. We are now waiting to get into the plant itself to see what the cause was."

He added: "There is heat involved in the process which was being carried out but there were no flammable chemicals involved.

"We have an extraction system to cope with any gas emissions.

"There has been no signs of emissions and no chance of workers' health being affected."

Paul Harvey, Burnley station officer, said: "The chemicals which were burning were toxic so we had to use breathing apparatus at the scene but there was considered to be no threat to the public from fumes.

"Evacuation of nearby houses was considered at one point but the direction of the wind blew the fumes away."