"We just want to know what was in that fire," Andrea Haxton, a nearby resident, told officials during a recent public meeting with New York health and environmental officials. "What was in that thick black smoke? We thought it was the end of the world."

Health officials told residents that soot levels have returned to normal and that they are awaiting test results from the Environmental Protection Agency. 

The sprawling integrated mill closed in the 1980s, and parts of the facility were being used as storage. The fire burned for several days before it was extinguished. 

The Buffalo News has a slideshow showing the fire's aftermath here.