Explosion, fire at N.C. chemical plant

HUDSON, N.C., May 29 (UPI) -- A four-alarm fire at a chemical manufacturing plant in Hudson, N.C., shut down U.S. 321 and forced evacuations within a 2-mile radius, police said.

The fire ensued after an explosion Saturday at Chemical Coatings on Hickory Boulevard, The Charlotte Observer reported. Witnesses reported seeing the smoke from miles away.

"We could feel the heat from where we were at," Sherry Thompson, who lives less than 2 miles away, told the newspaper. "The house shook."

Thompson said she heard ongoing explosions for nearly 2 hours and reported the smell of chemicals in the air.

No injuries were reported.