Around 50 homes have been evacuated near a biodiesel facility in New Albany, north Mississippi, following an explosion of the plant and subsequent fire.
The fire broke out at 5.30am local time on Wednesday, followed by a second blast in the afternoon. Fire fighters decided to let the flames burn out as they found them too hot to tackle.
Evacuation was ordered after smoke began to accumulate on the ground, shifted around by wind; the fire also shut down a nearby highway and damaged a power substation that knocked out electricity to surrounding neighbourhoods.
Two workers escaped from the plant, which is said to employ 5 staff in total, without injuries.
The cause for the explosion is currently unknown and the company who set up the plant in 2005 is said to have all required permits for legal business operation.
In the past, North Mississippi Biodiesel agreed to pay a $1,500 penalty for violations that included failing to perform a “stack emission test” within 180 days of initial startup or to follow other regulatory requirements related to standards of performance for equipment leaks, according to Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality documents.
You can watch the shocking video from the blaze below.
http://youtu.be/bnqExB5poE0
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