The Associated Press
HUMBOLDT, Tenn. — Fire broke out in an agriculture chemical plant Wednesday, forcing as many 700 people to evacuate homes and businesses in the area, officials said.
Homes downwind from the plant were evacuated because of the smoke, and workers at nearby manufacturing plants were told to leave by emergency officials as a precaution, Mayor Allen Barker said. No injuries were immediately reported.
Authorities were trying to figure out what started the fire at the Helena Chemical Co. plant in Humboldt, a West Tennessee town of about 9,500 residents 15 miles northwest of Jackson.
The plant produces a variety of crop protection products, agricultural chemicals, fertilizer and related products, according to the company’s Web site. Officials at the company’s headquarters in Collierville weren’t immediately available for comment.
“Presently, the smoke is blowing in a northwesterly direction away from where it can cause harm,” the mayor said. “The evacuations are precautionary.”
Barker said firefighters were letting the blaze burn down so they could use foam to extinguish it.
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Helena Chemical Co.: http://www.helenachemical.com