Fourteen fire crews are fighting a blaze at an Abbey Produce factory in Fenland Cambridgeshire.
Firefighters said the unit at Funtham's Lane, Whittlesey, may contain gas cylinders. Witnesses have reported hearing an explosion.
Residents living nearby have been asked to keep doors and windows closed, and witnesses said smoke could be seen miles from the site. The fire has halted rail services between Ely and Peterborough.
Carol Bagg said she was heading along a street that runs alongside the River Nene when she saw the smoke. She told local press: “It was pretty horrendous, really heavy black smoke in big billows and you could see the flames going quite high up.”
Another witness, Karen Williams, lives about a mile from the factory site. “I spotted the smoke as soon as I opened the curtains this morning,” she said. “I knew something was going on because of the sirens, but there was this enormous plume of smoke and I knew straight away something serious had happened.
“I don't think anyone will be working there for a while. I just hope that nobody was inside it.”
The area’s roads have been closed off.
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