A fire at a chemical facility in Omaha, in the US state of Nebraska, has left thousands of city residents without power and prompted the evacuation of nearby homes.
According to the city fire department, the blaze at the Nox-Crete plant was reported at around 7 pm local time on Monday. “Due to the explosions and smoke,” people on nearby streets were advised to evacuate. The Red Cross is providing assistance to locals.
A major firefighting effort is still ongoing. No injuries have been reported so far.
According to the Nox-Crete website, the plant manufactures coatings, adhesives, liquid floor hardeners, and other chemical products for the construction industry.
The Omaha Fire Department said earlier on Monday that “there are some chemicals that are burning.”
There were also reports that fuel may be leaking into the sewage system.
However, Pottawattamie County Emergency Management gave reassurances on Tuesday that “at this time fire officials on scene have advised there are no toxicity concerns.”
Omaha Public Power District said on Monday evening that a circuit outage left 2,382 customers living in near the Nox-Crete plant without electricity. A few hours later power was restored to most of them.
“Between 250-300 customers will remain without power until the fire in the vicinity is contained,” the grid operator said.
An investigation into the causes of the fire is underway, with authorities urging anyone with information about potential arson to call its hotline.