Summerville residents return after plant fire - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Residents in northwest Georgia returned to their homes on Tuesday after officials issued an evacuation advisory during a recycling plant fire.

The blaze forced about 100 families out of their homes after it broke out Friday night at the old Harriet and Henderson Mill in Summerville. The plant is now a recycling plant.

Besta Helton and her husband live next door to the plant. When they left their home of 52 years, they didn't know if they would have a home to return to, so they took family photos and other items.

Matthew Simmons, who lives across the street, chose not to evacuate.

"It got pretty bad. It got pretty smoggy for awhile. We stayed in the house most of the time. Every now and then we'd come out and see how everything was doing," said Simmons.

Officials said about 30 fire trucks and 3 million gallons of water were used to battle the blaze. Close to 350 firefighters from a number of counties pitched to help. Most of the fire was contained by Saturday afternoon, but the blaze scorched about four acres within the recycling complex.

The smoke had mostly diminished by Saturday, but officials kept the evacuation advisory in effect until Tuesday.