On Tuesday, a federal judge agreed on a settlement to compensate about half of Apex's residents who had to evacuate their homes after a massive fire at a hazardous waste company on October 5, 2006. According to the 7.5 million dollar settlement, each household that was forced to flee the blaze will receive $750. Businesses that were forced to close will receive $2,500.

That amount is in addition to earlier payments that compensated residents for evacuation expenses.

According to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the fire at Environmental Quality Company (EQ) was discovered by a citizen shortly before 10 P.M. who called 911 to report a haze and a strong chlorine smell.

Responding Apex Fire Department discovered a "sofa-size" fire in one of the hazardous waste bays at the facility and within minutes the fire spread to the flammable liquid storage area, causing 55-gallon drums of flammable hazardous waste to explode sending fireballs hundreds of feet into the air, the report states.

Police went door-to-door urging residents to leave the area, and reportedly, about 17,000 citizens fled their homes to get away from the gaseous plumes that drifted for miles.

Wake County and the Red Cross opened elementary schools as shelters that were outside of the affected area where they served about 400 evacuees. Wake County Animal Control dispatched mobile pet care facilities.

Officials said 41 people with minor injuries, such as respiratory distress and skin irritation, sought help at emergency rooms, including 13 responders. Most were treated and released within a span of several hours.

Schools, as well as many downtown businesses were forced to close the next day.

Residents were allowed to return home a day later, after the fire had burned itself out.

According to the United States Fire Administration, the potentially devastating explosion was handled with the highest levels of skill and expertise. Their report states that the key element contributing to the success of operations was that Apex had a very well-defined plan that was practiced routinely and made a commitment to train to the plan, and when they had an incident they used the plan as a foundation for the response.

Officials haven't yet been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire, but they have said improperly labeled oxygen canisters helped it to spread.

About a year after the explosion, the town received a check for $201,518 for expenses.

Finally, after much speculation, EQ made the statement they would not re-open the Apex plant site.

As a result of the explosion, some of the residents sued Environmental Quality Industrial Services, along with some of the companies that sent oxygen canisters to the facility for disposal.

Residents and business owners have the option of taking the settlement or joining a class action lawsuit. Those who choose the lawsuit may go online to http://apexfiresettlement.com/Index.html for more information.