KCMO2007-02-07_0038

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A large explosion and fire at a chemical company in the northeast Bottoms caused hundreds of evacuations Wednesday afternoon.Authorities said nine employees of the Chemcentral building at 910 N. Prospect Ave. were on the ground when a heated tank exploded at about 2:15 p.m., causing a chain reaction of explosions and a large fire.No injuries have been reported, but three hospitals are on alert.The city's emergency operations unit is up and running. The Kansas City Fire Department is urging everyone within a one-mile radius of the blaze to stay out of the area. Crews are going door to door to make sure people leave.Dozens of fire trucks, ambulances and a hazardous materials crew are at the scene.KMBC's Martin Augustine reported that the fire appears to be raging out of control and several explosions could be heard. Firefighters said they are trying to contain it from the perimeter. Pictures from NewsChopper 9 showed the fire had consumed several tanker trucks.Workers in nearby buildings told KMBC they heard about eight explosions, the building shook and that the lights flickered.A huge plume of smoke could be seen coming from the Chemcentral building. The dark cloud was visible for miles and winds had blown the smoke to Midtown, KMBC reported.NewsChopper 9's Johnny Rowlands reported that it appeared that something was falling from the cloud of smoke. KMBC's Karen Kornacki said she found some ash that had fallen from the sky. She said pieces of ash, some the size of a shoebox, were falling.Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency are monitoring the situation and advised residents not to touch the debris.Rowlands reported that aviation officials have been warned about the plume of smoke and the falling debris.Chemcentral is a chemical distributor based in the Chicago suburb of Bedford Park.News story from www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/10955838/detail.html