The mandatory evacuation order in place as a result of the chemical release at Sun Drilling Chemical Company on Main street in Belle Chasse ends at 10 o'clock this morning. Officials now say the situation has been stabilized and the immediate danger is over. The area will be re opened for residents to return to their homes after cleanup is completed.

Officials had called for a mandatory evacuation of some 200 to 300 homes near the chemical plant late Friday afternoon.

A chemical reaction at the Sun Drilling chemical plant near Main and G Streets near the Belle Chasse ferry caused the evacuation of some nearby residents and some government buildings, including the district attorney's office, the sheriff's office and the council building.

A crew from Baton Rouge brought in a chemical stabilizer overnight and that appears to have effectively eased the threat.