Chinese authorities have ordered an immediate evacuation near the site of the massive fire and explosion that devastated an industrial neighborhood in the northeastern city of Tianjin, according to a state-run newspaper.

The Beijing News on Saturday said all people within three kilometers of the warehouse explosion site have been told to evacuate the area. It said the evacuation order has been confirmed with environmental police and other officials at the scene.

Sodium cyanide, a toxic chemical that can be deadly, was detected east of the site, according to police cited by the paper. A team of more than 200 military nuclear and biochemical specialists has been searching the area for possible dangerous chemicals.

Until now, authorities have insisted the area now being evacuated was safe from harmful pollutants, although officials acknowledged they did detect signs of various dangerous substances in the immediate area of the explosion.

Chinese Central Television reported that rescue operations were suspended Saturday after a fresh fire broke out near the scene. It said a car that was slightly damaged during the explosion had caught fire and CCTV posted pictures of black smoke rising from the area.

Officials on Saturday said the death toll from the explosion has risen to 85. Tianjin officials say 21 firefighters were among those killed, and several are among people still missing.

Hundreds of people remain hospitalized after the late Wednesday explosions at the hazardous materials storage facility in the largely industrial neighborhood in China’s fourth-largest city.

Local officials have detected several toxic materials near the explosion site, but have insisted that air and water quality in the city remain at a normal level.

Investigators still do not know what caused the initial fire or explosions, which sent gigantic fireballs into the night sky and sent powerful shockwaves that shattered glass up to several kilometers away.
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