Explosions at a liquefied petroleum gas filling facility sparked a fire that ravaged through the unit for three hours Sunday and sent thick black fumes into the sky. There were no reports of injuries. At least eight tanks at the Akcagaz facility near the southwestern city of Izmit exploded and caught fire, Izmit Deputy Governor Ummet Kandogan said.

The fire soon spread to at least seven nearby houses, prompting authorities to evacuate 5,000 people from the area as a precaution, officials said.

Firefighters, aided by military planes and helicopters, dropped water and fire extinguishing foam onto the blaze, which was brought under control after three hours.

It was unclear what set off the explosions, officials said.

Three employees who had earlier been reported missing at the facility were found safe while two other workers were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, the Anatolia news agency said.

High thick black fumes billowed out of the facility soon after the explosions but were replaced by denser smoke as firefighters brought the blaze under control.

The facility is close to Tupras, Turkey's largest oil refinery, but the refinery - which shot into flames in 1999 after a devastating earthquake in the region - was not in any immediate danger.

Tupras spokeswoman Seval Kizilcan told Anatolia that office windows at the refinery were shattered from the impact of the explosions.

Firefighters had been dispatched from neighboring regions, including Istanbul, to help bring the fire under control.

PHOTO CAPTION

Thick black fumes shoot out from a liquefied petrolium gas facility in Izmit in northwestern Turkey on Sunday, July 28, 2002 after an explosion sparked a fire that ravaged through the unit for some three hours. There were no reports of any serious injuries and the blaze was brought under control after a three-hour struggle by firefighters aided by military planes and helicopters which dropped water and foam onto the blaze. (AP Photo/Tuncer Kalayci, Anatolia