BUENOS AIRES — Powerful explosions rocked an industrial complex outside the Argentine capital on Friday night, injuring at least 15 people and triggering a massive fire that firefighters struggled to bring under control, officials said.
“The explosions and fire breaking out in the different factories are huge,” Ezeiza Mayor Gaston Granados told AFP. “We are trying to control it and extinguish it but have not been able to so far.”
Authorities said the injured were taken to local hospitals, with most suffering burns or injuries from shattered glass caused by the shock wave.
Thick smoke affected visibility across the area, forcing several flights bound for Ministro Pistarini International Airport — Argentina’s main international gateway — to be delayed or diverted.
The cause of the explosions remains unclear, though Granados said they likely originated from one of five factories engulfed in the blaze, including a chemical plant and a plastics facility.
Emergency crews deployed dozens of fire engines and ambulances as they worked to secure the area.
The provincial Health Ministry said hospitals were coordinating to receive the wounded, and the Cuenca Alta Néstor Kirchner Hospital had activated its contingency plan for catastrophic events.
“It is a complex fire. It will be a long fire,” Fabian Garcia, civil defense director for Buenos Aires province, told AFP as teams battled the flames through the night. — Agencies