Authorities in southern Spain issued a regional health alert on Wednesday after a chemical plant explosion near Seville sent a towering plume of black smoke into the sky and forced emergency warnings to tens of thousands of nearby residents.
The blast occurred midday at an industrial facility in Alcalá de Guadaíra, located roughly 16 kilometres east of Seville’s city centre.
Two people were reported injured: a plant worker suffered minor burns, while a firefighter became ill at the scene, according to regional officials in Andalusia.
Local emergency services evacuated staff from the site and urged people within a three-kilometre radius—roughly 25,000 residents—to remain indoors, close windows, and wear face masks if necessary.
The chemical company involved, identified by Spanish media as Plainsur, occupies an 11,000 square metre facility in the industrial park.
Plainsur specialises in packaging and distributing chemical products, though authorities have not yet disclosed which chemicals were involved in the explosion.
Footage shared on social media and local news outlets showed a thick, dark column of smoke rising above the skyline, visible from several kilometres away.
TVE, Spain’s national broadcaster, and Diario de Sevilla confirmed the fire originated at the Plainsur site.
This marks the second chemical plant fire in Spain in less than a week. On Saturday, a blaze at a facility in northeastern Spain prompted similar stay-at-home orders for 150,000 residents across five towns.
The incident adds to a series of recent disruptions in Spain’s infrastructure. A nationwide power outage on April 28 also affected neighbouring Portugal, though authorities have ruled out cyber sabotage.
More recently, train services between Madrid and Seville were disrupted due to the theft of copper cabling.
Authorities continue to monitor air quality and assess the risk of chemical exposure, while firefighters work to fully contain the blaze. Investigations into the cause of the explosion are ongoing.
No further evacuations have been ordered, but health officials have urged vulnerable populations—including children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions—to exercise caution.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has yet to issue a formal statement on the broader implications for national infrastructure safety.
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