A major fire broke out Wednesday morning at a chemical plant in Novara, northern Italy, as authorities evacuated residents due to burning substances, state broadcaster RAI reported.

The flame broke out at a chemical plant in San Pietro Moseszo for an as yet unknown cause. A very high column of black and foul-smelling smoke rose, which is visible from any part of the city of Piedmont, west of Milan.

Several fire engines arrived at the scene of the fire. About 50 people worked at the plant, and when the fire started, there were about 30 of them, and everyone is alive.

#VIOLATION: Massive fire at San Pietro Moseszo chemical plant, #Italy pic.twitter.com/3Q4WEZoei5

— Latest news 24/7 (@Worldsource24) March 29, 2023

The police decided to evacuate houses within a radius of 500 meters from the plant.

Eyewitnesses told RAI that the flames were up to 50 meters high and repeated explosions were heard.

The high temperatures also caused street sewer wells to catch fire.

The black cloud released by the fire is slowly moving over the central part of the city and towards the north.

#Novara #Incendio In azienda chimica in San Pietro Moseszo. The industrial area has been evacuated due to the risk of new explosions. Al momento non risultano feriti. Da accertare le case del rogo pic.twitter.com/rvsXD1aLfB

— Rai Radio1 (@Radio1Rai) March 29, 2023

“We are monitoring the situation every minute in cooperation with the prefecture and the regional environmental protection service. We are waiting for updates, but it is obvious that there are concerns. The advice we give is to keep the windows closed,” said Raffaele Lanzo, security adviser for the municipality of Novara.

Source: RAI