Explosion at Greenville, Mississippi Chemical Plant Sends Up Black Smoke, Shelter in Place Ordered

An explosion at the Loveland Products chemical plant in Greenville, Mississippi, sent a large plume of black smoke into the air on Wednesday morning, November 4, 2026, and put nearby neighborhoods under a shelter in place order. No injuries were immediately reported.

City officials said crews were notified of the explosion just after 7 a.m., and the Greenville Fire Department received notification at about 7:10 a.m., according to a city news release. The Associated Press reported that by midmorning the fire was controlled but not fully extinguished.

Sara Moreland Hester, a deputy emergency management director for Washington County and a local firefighter, said no injuries were immediately reported. Nutrien, the parent company of Loveland Products, said no one was hurt, that the fire was "being managed," and that plant leadership was working with first responders.

Shelter in place along Highway 82

The Washington County Emergency Operations Center issued a shelter in place order for residents along Highway 82 from Beauchamp Road to Kuehn Road, and along VFW Road from Beauchamp Road to Kuehn Road, in Greenville. WMC Action News 5 reported the order came out just before 9:30 a.m. Residents in the zone were told to stay inside, close all doors and windows, and turn off air conditioning and ventilation systems that bring in outdoor air.

County officials warned that inhaling the hazardous smoke could cause burning or watering eyes, coughing, throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, and chest tightness or shortness of breath. They told residents to call 911 for difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, fainting or seizures.

Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons asked residents to avoid the immediate area while officials monitor the situation. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said its emergency response team and an air monitoring contractor were in the process of assessing any air quality impacts.

What is known about the fire

According to preliminary information provided by plant management, the explosion involves a fire associated with a herbicide chemical in a hot box. No cause has been announced.

Loveland Products is based in Loveland, Colorado, and makes fertilizer, plant nutrition and crop protection products. Its parent company, Nutrien, said plant leadership was working with first responders while the fire was managed on site.

The fire was controlled but not out by midmorning. The shelter in place order was then lifted just before noon on Wednesday. Residents who live near the plant and in an area to the east and south of it had been asked to shelter in place for a couple of hours because of potentially hazardous smoke, in the mostly rural area on the eastern edge of Greenville. Greenville has a population of about 26,000 and sits about 120 miles (193 kilometers) northwest of Jackson. Officials gave the smoke plume, the chemical involved and the air around the plant as the reasons for keeping residents inside with windows closed and outside air shut off while crews worked.