Preliminary information from plant management indicated a herbicide chemical fire
Emergency crews responded Wednesday to an explosion at the Loveland Products plant in Greenville, Mississippi, that sent a large plume of black smoke into the air. City officials said in a news release that crews were notified just after 7 a.m.
Greenville, a city of about 26,000 in the Mississippi Delta region, is about 120 miles (193 kilometers) northwest of Jackson, the state capital.
No injuries were immediately reported, said Sara Moreland Hester, a deputy emergency management director for Washington County and a local firefighter.
As of midmorning, Hester said, the fire was controlled but not fully extinguished.
The city news release said that, according to preliminary information provided by plant management, the explosion involved a fire associated with a herbicide chemical.
Nutrien, the parent company of Loveland, said the fire was “being managed,” and that plant leadership was working with first responders.
Loveland is based in Loveland, Colorado, and makes fertilizer, plant nutrition and crop protection products.
Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons said in the city news release that residents were asked to avoid the immediate area as officials monitored the situation. “We are coordinating with emergency response agencies to assess the situation, contain the fire, and determine whether additional protective measures are necessary,” Simmons said.
City officials said the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has dispatched personnel to the area.