Emergency crews responded Wednesday to an explosion at the Loveland Products chemical plant in Greenville, Mississippi, which sent a large plume of black smoke into the sky. The incident was reported just after 7 a.m., according to city officials.
No injuries were immediately reported, said Sara Moreland Hester, a deputy emergency management director for Washington County. As of midmorning, the fire was controlled but not fully extinguished. Preliminary information from plant management indicated the explosion involved a fire associated with a herbicide chemical.
Nutrien, the parent company of Loveland Products, confirmed that the fire was being managed and that plant leadership was cooperating with first responders. Loveland Products, based in Colorado, manufactures fertilizer, plant nutrition, and crop protection products.
Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons urged residents to avoid the immediate area while officials assess the situation, contain the fire, and determine if additional protective measures are necessary. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has dispatched personnel to the scene.