Explosion at Mississippi chemical plant causes ammonia leak, evacuations

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YAZOO CITY, Miss. (AP) — An explosion at a hydrogen and nitrogen product manufacturer in Mississippi on Wednesday caused an ammonia leak and forced nearby residents to evacuate, officials said.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a post on the social platform X that emergency officials from across the state were responding to the anhydrous ammonia leak at CF Industries' plant north of Yazoo City.

No deaths or injuries have been reported, he said.

“Thank you to all of Mississippi’s first responders and emergency managers for quickly responding to the leak,” he said.

Photos and video posted online show a large plume of yellowish smoke rising above the facility, which includes an ammonia plant and four nitric acid plants, among other things.

The facility is able to store about 48,000 tons of ammonia, although the exact amount there when the explosion took place was not immediately clear.

CF Industries said in a statement that there are no injuries, and "all employees and contractors on site at the time of the incident have been safely accounted for."

Andre Robinson, who lives about a half-mile (800 meters) from the facility, said he and his son were getting ready to make gumbo when he heard what sounded like a sonic boom or a tree crashing on his house.

“There was a boom and then the house shook,” he said.

When he looked outside, Robinson said he saw smoke rising from the facility and started to smell a strong scent of ammonia.

“We’re used to the ammonia smell, but not that bad," he said, adding that his family has since evacuated to Jackson.

Part of U.S. Route 49E was temporarily closed, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said in a post on X that “air monitoring operations are underway and will continue as long as necessary to ensure public safety.”

Anhydrous ammonia is used as a fertilizer to help provide nitrogen for corn and wheat plants, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. If a person touches it when it is in gas or liquid form, they could be burned.

Yazoo City is a small community about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Jackson.