Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Residents in eastern Tennessee were advised to stay in their homes Wednesday after a nearby manufacturing plant reported an incident it called a "process upset."
Gray and white plumes were seen in aerial footage rising from the manufacturing complex about 80 miles northeast of Knoxville, on the border with Virginia, according to WJHL-TV.
"We experienced a process upset in the coal gasification area of our Kingsport manufacturing site," Eastman Chemical Co. posted on Facebook. "The upset created a loud noise and a visible plume."
No one was injured and the company said "our employees are currently sheltered in place as we are working to secure the area" as a cautionary measure.
The company also advised neighbors around the plant to remain indoors and turn off their air conditioning. It later removed the precautionary shelter in place except for those within a one-half-mile radius.
The Kingsport Fire Department sent several trucks to the scene.
Eastman is a supplier of polyethylene terephthalate for packaging. The company was spun off from camera and film manufacturer Eastman Kodak in 1994.
