WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Strong explosions rocked a northern US chemical plant Tuesday night, sending fireballs and huge smoke columns high into the sky and prompting hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.

    The plant is located in Romulus, a suburban town near Detroit, some 640 km northwest of Washington DC, and the blasts happened shortly after 9 pm, according to local TV news reports.

    By Wednesday afternoon, flames and smoke are still rising from several tanks in the plant complex.

    Firefighters had no estimate when the fire will be extinguished.

    A 1.6-km radius around the plant has been evacuated, including an automobile plant and hundreds of inhabitants.

    Romulus police and fire department said some workers were inside the plant when the explosions took place, but all of them got out safely and none has been injured during the incident.

    Local residents described the explosions as big enough to send a mushroom cloud over 100 meter high into the air.

    TV footage showed bright orange flames lighting up the night sky, with occasional explosions sending the flames even higher.

    The plant has been identified as the EQ Resource Recovery, a hazardous waste treatment and storage facility.

    The US Environmental Protection Agency is en route to Romulus, and will monitor the surrounding air using aircraft and a mobile unit.

    The plant is located near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, but the fire was not affecting flights in and out of the airport.

    The cause of the blasts had not been determined. Enditem