Dark smoke is plaguing east Texas residents after a fiery explosion erupted at a chemical plant on Wednesday.

The chemical plant is located near Houston in Shepherd, Texas, a city of just over 2,000 people and the cause of the explosion is not immediately known.

According to the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, residents are being asked to avoid the area and shelter in place as evacuations are in progress.

Pictures and videos of the explosion show the dark smoke and flames are rising high into the sky.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.