Mississippi Chemical Plant: Explosion Triggers Shelter in Place

A large plume of black smoke rose over Greenville, Mississippi, following an explosion at a local chemical plant.

Emergency crews received the call just after 7 a.m. CST on Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Loveland Products plant in the Mississippi Delta region. Greenville is a city of approximately 26,000 people located about 120 miles northwest of Jackson.

Sara Moreland Hester, a deputy emergency management director for Washington County, reported that no injuries were immediately known. She noted that by midmorning, the fire was controlled but not yet fully extinguished. Plant management told city officials that the fire involved a herbicide chemical. Nutrien, the parent company of Loveland, stated that its leadership was coordinating with first responders to manage the situation. Loveland manufactures fertilizer, plant nutrition, and crop protection products.

City officials asked residents living near the plant and in areas to the east and south to shelter in place for a few hours. The advisory aimed to protect people from potentially hazardous smoke. The order was lifted just before noon in the mostly rural section on the eastern edge of the city.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality deployed an emergency response team and an air monitoring contractor. These teams are currently assessing any air quality impacts from the event.