More than 20 injured as huge explosions rock Ezeiza industrial park

At least 22 people were injured on Friday after a powerful explosion triggered a major fire at an industrial park housing several chemical firms and other manufacturers south of Argentina’s capital.

A thick column of black and orange smoke rose hundreds of metres into the sky above the municipality of Ezeiza – an area about 40 kilometres from Buenos Aires that includes Argentina’s main international airport – as flames lit up the surrounding buildings.

Gaston Granados, the town’s mayor, told the C5N news channel that the situation was “tremendous,” noting that the fire and the explosions were  “occurring in the different industries”.

At least one of the factories affected, among the five reported by the press, was reduced to ashes, local reporters said.

“The windows of my house and those in the neighbourhood exploded. We are evacuating families,” added Granados, who lives about 500 metres from the industrial sector known as the Spegazzini Polygon, one of the larger industrial clusters in the southern metropolitan belt.

Carlos Santoro, director of the hospital receiving the injured, told the La Nación+ television that the number of patients admitted “so far stands at 22,” though none of them were in a life-threatening condition.

He later explained to Infobae that the hospital had received a patient who suffered a heart attack and a pregnant woman struggling with smoke intoxication. She remains in intensive care after being brought in from a nearby neighbourhood affected by the explosion.

The cause of the emergency remains unknown. Granados said investigators had begun preliminary work to determine the origin of the blast, and that statements from factory workers and CCTV footage would form part of the inquiry.

“We are trying to control it and put it out, but we still haven’t been able to,” he said.

One of the access motorways to the area was closed as a precaution, leading to significant traffic delays during the evening rush hour. Around 20 fire trucks, police units and civil defence teams were deployed.

Toxic smoke

The affected industrial park lies near Ezeiza International Airport, the country’s most important international air terminal. 

Airport authorities said operations remained normal, although they were monitoring wind direction and had issued internal safety alerts. The National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) said no flights had been diverted.

The park includes a range of companies handling hazardous chemical compounds, tyre storage facilities and a document depot operated by Iron Mountain. The latter drew particular attention due to a major fire involving a separate Iron Mountain site in Buenos Aires in 2014, although authorities stressed there was no indication of a link in the present case.

“These are different companies with different products. There is significant tyre stockpiling and several chemical firms. It is a very complex fire and it will be a long operation,” said Fabián García, civil defence director for Buenos Aires Province, speaking to the La Nación+ in the early hours of Saturday.

“One logistics company appears to be where the fire began,” he added, noting that specialist chemical-fire units and foam retardants were being used to contain the flames.

Provincial authorities urged nearby residents to take precautions against possible toxic fumes. They advised people to remain indoors with doors and windows shut, turn off air conditioning and fans, and avoid travelling through the affected area.

Those encountering smoke were told to move quickly in the opposite direction and cover their nose and mouth with a damp cloth.

Environmental officials said air-quality monitoring stations had been activated and that water runoff from the site was being assessed for potential chemical contamination.

Dozens of videos and images of the blaze and the huge column of smoke flooded social media from multiple angles, while local shelters prepared to receive evacuated families pending further updates from emergency services.