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Chemical plant erupts in Kansas City, Mo.

Smoke spreads over downtown Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday as a fire burns at a chemical plant in an industrial area of the city. Officials evacuated people within a one-mile radius of the plant. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Dave Skretta Associated Press
Smoke spreads over downtown Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday as a fire burns at a chemical plant in an industrial area of the city. Officials evacuated people within a one-mile radius of the plant. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Several explosions engulfed a chemical plant in flames Wednesday, forcing a broad evacuation as the fire spewed a sticky substance that residents were warned not to touch.

Two workers at Chemcentral Corp. suffered minor injuries, police said. Police had driven up and down nearby streets warning that more explosions were expected, but the blaze began subsiding late Wednesday.

Firefighters began pouring water on the smoldering remains. A large tank on the edge of the property continued to burn, and officials said the fire probably wouldn’t be out until daybreak.

Officials worked to evacuate people within a one-mile radius, including about 500 residents.

Fire officials also told residents throughout the city to avoid picking up debris carried by the dark cloud that streamed out of downtown, although Fire Chief Richard Dyer said the material was not highly toxic. The cloud appeared to be dropping a sticky substance as it moved to the southwest over the metropolitan area.

Ken Hannon, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said a number of chemicals are at the property, including mineral spirits, turpentine and other solvents.

“I’m looking through the list. I’m not seeing anything that’s jumping out at me” as particularly hazardous, he said.

Officials were monitoring the air within a two-mile radius, Dyer said.

Dyer said firefighters had abandoned attempts to fight the blaze and would just let it die out, hopefully by this morning, although it could burn for a few days. A shelter was being set up at a high school for displaced residents.

Fire officials had worried the intense heat would cause three 30,000-gallon rail tank cars filled with mineral spirits to explode.

But images from the air showed smoke or steam venting from one of the cars, indicating its pressure relief valve had activated and the heat was letting up, Fire Battalion Chief Joe Vitale said.

The fire began after several 55-gallon drums containing chemicals exploded, touching off more explosions and fires, including blasts from three 30,000-gallon tankers, Fire Marshal Floyd Peoples said.

Dan Brennan, an attorney for Bedford Park, Ill.-based Chemcentral, said it was not immediately clear what caused the explosions at the plant, which has 15 to 20 workers.