Explosion Rocks Natural Gas Plant in Mississippi, No Injuries Reported
Vibrations from the Gulf Coast explosion were felt nearly 10 miles away.
— -- An explosion and fire broke out at a natural gas plant along Mississippi's Gulf Coast late Monday night, but police said there were no injuries.
Vibrations from the explosion were felt nearly 10 miles away, according to ABC's Biloxi affiliate, WLOX.
The plant is located in the city of Pascagoula, about 30 miles east of Biloxi. The facility takes in offshore natural gas and processes it to be shipped via a pipeline.
Jackson County Emergency Services manager Earl Etheridge told ABC News that crews hope to have the fire extinguished by dawn.
Etheridge said the explosion and fire began at approximately 11:30 p.m. He said two employees were on duty at the time, but they were not injured.
Local fire departments responded to the scene, and were working with plant employees to control and extinguish the fire. Emergency crews also blocked off the plant to secure the scene.
Although there were no mandatory evacuation orders, Jackson County Emergency Services initially asked residents who live near the plant to leave their homes as a precaution. Etheridge said residents returned to their homes soon afterwards.
In statement posted on its Facebook page around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the Pascagoula Police Department said, "We would like to let our citizens know that there has been an explosion...It is contained to the building. We are working with state and local officials regarding this. There will be no evacuations at this time and there are no injuries. We will update you as more details become available."
ABC News' Rachel Katz, Alexandra Faul and Matthew Foster contributed to this report.
Editor's Note: Based on information provided by police, a previous version of this story incorrectly reported that this plant was a BP facility. It is unclear who owns it at this time.