Firefighters battled to contain a huge blaze at a Pennsylvania chemical warehouse which sent huge plumes of black smoke into the sky early Monday.
A reporter from NBC station WGAL reported hearing explosions around the Miller Chemical warehouse in Conewago Township as he arrived at the scene near Hanover, Pennsylvania.
Officials issued a shelter-in-place notice for residents within a mile radius of the warehouse, according to Adams County Emergency Dispatch. It said hazmat crews along with local and county emergency management teams were on the scene. According to WGAL, the smoke itself was not deemed toxic.
The warehouse was located in a commercial business area, Adams County Dispatch added.
Two maintenance workers were in the building when the fire started, according to WGAL, which said there were no reports of injuries or word on what caused the blaze.
Miller Chemical — which according to its website specializes in manufacturing nutritional agrochemicals — could not immediately be reached for comment.
Beau Bowden told NBC News he saw the huge smoke cloud as he arrived for work on Monday at nearby UTZ Quality Foods.
"One of the biggest plumes of smoke I’ve ever seen,” he said. "I went to work and got into the building as soon as possible because I didn’t want to breathe any of the smoke."