Powerful explosions tore through an industrial estate near Argentina’s capital on Friday, sparking a huge blaze and injuring more than 20 people.

Thick billows of black smoke rose hundreds of metres into the night sky, illuminated orange from the massive blaze, observed Agence France-Presse reporters near the site, which is close to the country’s busiest international airport just outside Buenos Aires.

“The explosions and fire breaking out in the different factories are huge,” said Gaston Granados, mayor of Ezeiza, the area where the site is located.

“We are trying to control [the fire] and extinguish it but have not been able to so far,” he said on C5N television, adding that the windows of his own nearby house had been shattered and that they were evacuating families from the area.

Hospital director Carlos Santoro said his facility had received 22 injured patients.