Emergency crews responded Wednesday to an explosion at the Loveland Products plant in Greenville, Mississippi, that produced a large plume of black smoke.
Crews were alerted to the incident shortly after 7 a.m. CST. City officials stated that the explosion involved a fire associated with a herbicide chemical, according to preliminary information from plant management. Nutrien, the parent company of Loveland, confirmed the fire was being managed and that plant leadership was cooperating with first responders.
Residents in areas east and south of the plant were initially instructed to shelter in place due to the potential for hazardous smoke. This order was lifted before noon. No injuries were immediately reported, according to Sara Moreland Hester, a deputy emergency management director for Washington County and a local firefighter. As of midmorning, the fire was reported as controlled but not fully extinguished.
Loveland Products, based in Loveland, Colorado, manufactures fertilizer, plant nutrition, and crop protection products. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has dispatched its emergency response team and an air monitoring contractor to assess any potential air quality impacts from the incident.
