DETROIT -- Authorities said air monitoring and sewer cleanup will continue after a fire at a chemical plant forced the temporary evacuation of hundreds of people and sent huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky above Detroit.

Investigators also will be trying to determine Friday what sparked the massive inferno at the Sterling Services Ltd. plant in Hamtramck that started about 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The fire started near a rail tanker car at a chemical plant and spread quickly to silos holding gasoline, causing an inferno that sent huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky above Detroit and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people.

Sterling Services Ltd., which is located just west of Interstate 75 and Caniff Street.

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Drivers were told to evacuate the service drive in that area in both directions. About 300 homes in the Hamtramck Colonel housing development adjacent to the plant were also evacuated. Those residents were bussed to the Hamtramck Senior Plaza at 2620 Holbrook Street.

"Our job is to make them comfortable while they're here," said Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski. "To make sure their anxieties are addressed."

Dorothy Rutledge was one of the residents told to evacuate.

"I wasn't going to leave. I was getting ready to eat, but they knocked on the door again, so I said I'd better go," Rutledge said.

At about 4:30 p.m., an evacuation order was lifted as firefighters worked to put out remaining hot spots.

"It was scary ... it really was. I was afraid we would all have to be evacuated at one point," said Mickey Ward, who lives near the plant.

"I thought it was going to blow. The fire was so enormous and then there was an explosion," added Loretta Nasbitt, who also lives near the plant.

Amtrak passenger rail service was suspended between Pontiac and Detroit, about 20 miles apart. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said passengers will be shuttled between the cities by charter bus.

There were no reports of injuries.

Fire departments from Highland Park and Detroit assisted in extinguishing the blaze. Fire officials used foam to contain the flames.

Investigators said an early determination of the fire's start was a spark that caused a tanker that was being fueled to ignite, which caused a chain reaction with other tankers and silos housing fuel.

Robert McCann, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, said Sterling Services Ltd. has no history of violations with the state.

The company is registered as a bulk petroleum facility that stores large quantities of gasoline or other fuels, he said.

State or federal environmental officials will monitor air quality at the scene, McCann said.

The plant is owned by Sterling Oil and Chemical Company, which is headquartered in Royal Oak. The company deals with raw materials and blending of industrial lubricants, greases and other petroleum products. Its Hamtramck plant occupies more than 5 acres, with total storage capacity of almost 5 million gallons.

The company's Web site can be viewed by clicking here.

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