An enormous fire started at a plastics facility Sunday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Firefighters and emergency personnel responded to the scene at the industrial plant as thick, black plumes filled the sky.

According to reports, the plumes could be seen 20+ miles away.

The building was evacuated, and there were no reported injuries from the blaze.

Footage below:

Authorities issued health alerts regarding hazardous air pollutants.

KRQE reported:

According to officials, a vehicle fire near the building became out of control. According to BCFD, crews got the fire under control after 7:30 p.m. Officials say crews were expected to work overnight.

Multiple departments were on scene and even though it was a windy day, fire officials mentioned the high winds pushed the fire away from nearby buildings.

AFR said the fire involves “structures, product, and vehicles” and warned the public to stay away from Bobby Foster Road and University Blvd SE.

The city’s Environmental Health Dept. advised staying inside with windows and doors closed for respiratory health.

At 5 p.m., a health alert was issued for the Albuquerque and Bernalillo County residents due to “smoke [that] contains hazardous air pollutants.” It expires at 10 a.m. on Monday.

The county’s environmental health agency told residents Monday morning it’s safe to be outside.

“The fire has been contained as of last evening, fire crews are still monitoring hot spots but there is no longer significant smoke. It is safe to be outside,” CABQ Air posted.

Can Albuquerque residents trust public health officials that the air is “safe” one day after “hazardous air pollutants” filled the sky?

Albuquerque Journal reported:

The fire burned at United Poly Systems, Fejer said. There were employees present when the fire started, but they were able to evacuate and no one was injured, he said.

Lisa Winter, a spokeswoman for Atkore, said the fire broke out in the exterior yard of Atkore’s United Poly Systems facility in Albuquerque. She said fire officials have been working to protect other parts of the facility.

“The health and safety of our employees and the local community are our primary concern,” she said in a statement. “We are currently assessing the situation, and are cooperating with the appropriate authorities including regarding determining the cause of the fire. We will communicate further information as it becomes available to Atkore.”

Lt. Robert Arguelles, a spokesman for Bernalillo Fire, said at a news conference that the fire burned large new product and smaller bits of plastic that were being recycled at the facility. That made it a challenge because of how hot the materials burned, he said.

“This was a fire that was destined to grow very rapidly,” he said.

He said officials were planning to use resources from Kirtland Air Force Base to help extinguish the flame. But officials said it could require firefighters to spend days continuing to douse the area.

Officials provided updates regarding the fire at this press conference:

 

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