Explosions seen during warehouse fire

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - Portsmouth fire crews responded to a warehouse fire that sparked around 2:45 a.m. Friday morning along Columbus Avenue.

When firefighters arrived in the 1400 block of Columbus Avenue, they found flames shooting from the warehouse and quickly spreading, Anna Silva with the Portsmouth Fire Department said.

The two-story, seemingly abandoned building used to house a tank cleaning facility, according to neighbor Rizzo Toxey.

Toxey was awoken by a massive explosion. He said shook it his home from across the street.

WAVY.com arrived on scene as flames poured from the structure.

Fire crews had limited access to water and needed to run a hose more than 1200' to battle the flames. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control around 5:40 a.m., however, Silva said crews would not be able to enter the building until daylight because of multiple explosions.

Part of Columbus Avenue is shut down as crews remain on scene. No injuries have been reported.

Stay with WAVY.com for more on this developing story.