My source in St. Louis reports that the fire at Praxair has spread across the streets to the East and West due to explosions inside the facility.

More as it develops.

The Post-Dispatch of St. Louis reports that

Explosions rock city plant
By David Hunn
Of the Post-Dispatch
06/24/2005

Explosions and fire erupted at a south St. Louis plant near Jefferson and Chouteau this afternoon, sending flames, debris and dense smoke hundreds of feet into the air.

The blaze began around 3 p.m. at Praxair, a gas and tank company at 2210 Chouteau. As of 4 p.m. a policeman at the scene said no injuries had been reported. Explosions had slowed to perhaps one per minute from the frenetic pace of earlier in the afternoon. More than a dozen emergency vehicles were at the scene.

Authorities say the fire grew for the next hour, sending scraps of cylinders high into the air. The thick smoke prompted police to evacuate buildings and businesses for several blocks in the area.

"They must have hundreds of tanks back there," said Mike Giffin, a shipping and receiving worker at F&C Truck Sales & service at 2350 Chouteau.