A massive fire broke out at a chemical plant near Omaha City on Monday night, forcing some residents of the area to evacuate their homes and leaving hundreds without electricity.
Smoke can be seen coming out of the Knox-Crete facility, which manufactures chemical products, according to its website, in photos shared by the Omaha Fire Department.
Scott Fitzpatrick, chief of the Omaha Fire Department Battalion, told NBC News that no one was at work when firefighters arrived at the scene Monday night at around 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET). No casualties were reported till late Monday night, he said.
It is not clear what caused the fire. However, the fire caused several large propane bottles to explode, Fitzpatrick said. “We also know that they have stored dangerous chemicals in this structure,” he said.
According to its website, Nox-Crete also manufactures form coatings and deactivators as well as “liquid floor hardeners, joint fillers, curing and sealing compounds, water repellents, and more.” NBC News has contacted Knox-Crete for comment on the incident.
Fitzpatrick said nearby residents and businesses had been advised to evacuate the area, but could not say how many people were affected or when they would be able to return to their homes.
The Omaha Fire Department said in a tweet that a community center has been opened nearby to provide shelter to those forced to evacuate their homes.
According to an ABC affiliate, about 2,500 customers in the neighborhood near the scene of the fire on Monday night were without power. KTV, which is based in Omaha. As of Tuesday morning, the total number of outages in Omaha had dropped to less than 250, according to the Omaha Public Power District. Website,