St. Louis – A blaze at an industrial plant sent huge fireballs shooting into the sky Friday afternoon and cast a towering cloud of black smoke over the area.
There were no reports of injuries and no word on the cause of the rapid-fire series of spectacular explosions at Praxair Distribution, which processes propane and other gases for industrial and hospital use, and distributes them to 40 countries.
The explosions appeared to come from tanks outside the plant and from the plant itself.
Cars and trucks parked nearby caught fire.
Firefighters held back at first before trying to battle the blaze.
Shelly Warner, the wife of an employee, told KSDK-TV that her husband called to tell her that it was believed that all 70 employees had gotten out safely.
Homes and businesses were being evacuated from the area south of downtown.
Angelita Deppe, 38, who works at a nearby United Parcel Service facility that was evacuated by police after the explosions began, said gas cylinders that had been blasted into the air landed on the ground.
The explosions sent flames more than 50 feet in the air. The fire and smoke could be seen for several miles.
The company is part of Praxair Inc. of Danbury, Conn. A spokesman had no information on the fire.
