About 6,500 people have been told to evacuate their homes in Winston-Salem, North Carolina due to a fire at a fertilizer plant storing over 300 tonnes of potentially explosive ammonium nitrate, reported Reuters citing city officials on Tuesday.

The blaze at the Weaver Fertilizer Plant on North Cherry Street started Monday evening. Residents within 1.6 kilometers of the plant were urged to evacuate and stay away from their homes for up to 48 hours.