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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Angel Tarragon" data-source="post: 2356844" data-attributes="member: 23733">Blaze Engulfs St. Louis PlantFireballs Reached 50-100 FeetJun 24, 2005 6:28 pm US/Eastern(AP) A roaring blaze at an industrial plant sent huge fireballs shooting into the south St. Louis sky Friday afternoon and cast a towering cloud of black smoke over the area. No injuries are reported. Company spokeswoman Susan Szita Gore said she wasn't certain how many of the plant's 70 employees were there at the time of the explosions, but said all employees were evacuated safely. But the company has given no word on the cause of the rapid-fire series of explosions at Praxair Distribution, which processes propane and other gases for industrial use. Businesses and homes within a five-block radius are being evacuated. Flames and fireballs reached more than 100 feet above the plant, and the fire spread to nearby vehicles as fire rescue workers appeared on the scene. Firefighters held back at first before trying to battle the blaze. A helicopter passenger from St. Louis' KSDK-TV reports that the explosions from the factory sent large propane tanks flying into the air. The explosions are casting a towering cloud of black smoke over the area, south of downtown St. Louis. Occasional plumes of white smoke also towered up from the roaring fire, which appeared large but concentrated. It flared with bursts of energy every few seconds, suggesting chemicals — such as propane, which the Fortune 500 company Praxair packages — fueling the blaze. Homes and businesses were being evacuated in the mostly residential area south of downtown. Angelita Deppe, 38, who works at a nearby United Parcel Service facility that was evacuated by police after the explosions began, said cylinders that had been blasted into the air landed on the ground. A news helicopter passenger described feeling the heat of the fire from far overhead, and said navigating became difficult due to the thick black smoke. The fire and smoke could be seen for several miles. The company is part of Praxair Inc. of Danbury, Conn. A spokesman had no immediate information on the fire. The company's primary products are atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon and rare gases, along with process and specialty gases like carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, semiconductor process gases and acetylene. Leland Darrow, assistant area director of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration office in St. Louis, said he was not aware of any safety violations at the plant. Mayor Francis Slay said the city was monitoring air at the site to make sure no hazardous materials were being released. "So far we have not detected any," he said.</blockquote>

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