Crews respond to early morning explosion at a Mississippi chemical plant

Emergency crews responded Wednesday to an explosion at a Mississippi chemical plant that sent a large plume of black smoke into the air.

Crews were notified just after 7 a.m. CST of an explosion at the Loveland Products plant in Greenville, city officials said in a news release. The city in the Mississippi Delta region has a population of about 26,000 people. It's about 120 miles (193 kilometers) northwest of Jackson, the capital.

No injuries were immediately reported, said Sara Moreland Hester, a deputy emergency management director for Washington County and a local firefighter. She said that as of midmorning, the fire was controlled but not fully extinguished.

The city news release said that according to preliminary information provided by the plant management, the explosion involves a fire associated with a herbicide chemical.

Nutrien, the parent company of Loveland, said the fire was “being managed,” and that plant leadership was working with first responders. Loveland — based in Loveland, Colorado — makes fertilizer, plant nutrition and crop protection products.

Residents who live near the plant and in an area to the east and south of it were asked to shelter in place for a couple of hours because of potentially hazardous smoke, but that was lifted just before noon in the mostly rural area on the eastern edge of the city.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said its emergency response team and an air monitoring contractor were in the process of assessing any air quality impacts.

Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack contributed to this report.