A massive fire erupted Friday morning at General Electric's Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky, shutting down production at the sprawling manufacturing center that employs thousands. The fire broke out in a non-production building, creating huge columns of smoke visible from miles away as 200 firefighters battled the blaze. GE spokeswoman Kim Freeman said there are no known injuries at the structure, Building 6, where up to 50 people work during a normal day. Production ceased and workers at the facility had been evacuated and sent home, Freeman told Daily Mail Online. Scroll down for video . More than 100 firefighters have been called to fight a six-alarm blaze at General Electric's Appliance Park in Louisville . There were no known injuries in the fire, which is thought to have started around 7am Friday morning . A GE spokesman said that employees at the Louisville facility, which makes a range of appliances, had been evacuated and sent home. A fire department spokesperson said that building caught on fire contained plastics . Louisville Fire Department spokesman Sal Melendez said that the building made plastic products. The cause of the fire, which began around 7am, is not yet known, according to WDRB. A shelter in place order has been given for the surrounding half-mile area, with officials telling residents to go to the room in their houses with the least windows and to shut off any ventilation from outside. Hydrochloric acid particles were found in the smoke near the building, which authorities said did not house an hazardous materials. A concentration for the particles was not stated. No acid particles were found in the plume of smoke heading downwind. GE makes a range of appliances at the facility, including washing machines, refrigerators and water heaters at its Louisville facility. . The smoke near the building was found to contain hydrochloric acid particles . Up to 50 employees would be in the building during a normal day, though Friday was reportedly a company holiday . Smoke was seen coming from a storage building at the facility, where firefighters were working to contain the blaze in addition to conducting water rescues on Louisville residents evacuating during flooding . Charlie Gold, an employee at a country club directly east of General Electric, told Daily Mail Online that the smoke had originally been heading in his direction before switching and floating west towards the airport. He said that the smoke had a strange smell smell to it, 'not like a camp fire'. GE makes a range of appliances at the facility, including washing machines, dryers, dish washers, refrigerators and water heaters. An estimated 6,000 employees work at the 1,000-acre center. Melendez said during an 11am press conference that the fire was confined to the building area, but was not yet contained. Residents around the facility were told to stay in a room with the fewest possible windows and shut off ventilation from outside . Pieces of ash (pictured) as large as lunch boxes were found in the area and ash was found on planes at Louisville International Airport . The storage building, where 30 to 50 employees normally are during the day, reportedly collapsed around 8.30am. Friday was a company holiday for GE and there was no one inside the building, according to WAVE-TV. The city's emergency services have been stretched on Friday morning as firefighters have also been rescuing residents from flooded apartments caused by seven inches of rain. It is not known if the flooding played any part in the fire. Kevin Tyler, chief of the Harrods Creek Fire Department, said that all 18 fire departments in the county had sent employees to the blaze, according to the Courier-Journal. Louisville's zoo has been closed and animals are being kept indoors because of the smoke. Pieces of ash as large as lunch boxes were reported in the area and ash on planes was reported at Louisville International Airport. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer gave a press conference Friday morning where officials said that hydrochloric acid particles were detected in the smoke near the building, but not in the downwind plume . The building reportedly collapsed at 8.30am. A news report captured live footage of a wall crumpling into the blaze . Firefighters from 18 local departments were called in to the facility. The fire had been been confined to the area around the building but had not yet been contained as of Friday morning . The Louisville Zoo, located northwest of the GE Appliance Park, has been closed to protect its animals from the smoke . Friday was a company holiday for GE and there were no employees inside the building, according to local media . Smoke from the fire was seen billowing into the sky from miles away. The cause of the blaze on Friday morning is not yet known .
No injuries reported in blaze at six-alarm fire at Louisville appliance facility . Cause for fire, which has drawn 200 firefighters Friday morning, unknown . Fire department stretched thin as they also rescue flooded residents . Building, where up to 50 people would normally work, collapsed at 8.30am . Facility makes appliances such as washing machines, dryers and fridges . Acid particles found in smoke near building, but not in downwind plume . Residents near plant told to close windows, shut off  ventilation to outside .