Powerful explosions rocked an industrial complex outside of Buenos Aires on Friday night, officials said, as the fire department battled the ensuing blaze.

At least 15 people were injured as a result and taken to the hospital.

"The explosions and fire breaking out in the different factories are huge," French news agency AFP quoted Gaston Granados saying. Granados is the mayor of Ezeiza where the events unfolded.

"We are trying to control [the fire] and extinguish it but have not been able to so far," Granados said.

Smoke from the explosions and subsequent fire has affected visibility in the area. Several flights scheduled to land at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport — the main international gateway in Argentina — were delayed or diverted due to poor visibility. 

What do we know about the explosions?

While the cause of the explosions remains unknown, they are likely to have originated from one of the five factories on fire.

Granados told a local news network that of the five, one was a chemical plant, where the warehouses caught fire. Another was a plastics plant, he said.

The mayor gave his assurance that authorities were trying to ensure safety in the area with over a dozen fire extinguishers and ambulances at the scene.

According to local media, most of those injured were residents of the area who suffered minor to moderate from burns and inuries from glass shattering from the shock wave.

The municipality of Ezeiza said that "significant explosions" were recorded at the scene.

What is being done?

The provincial Ministry of Health said hospitals in the region were working in a coordinated manner and were ready to receive the injured.

The local municipality said the Cuenca Alta Nestor Kirchner Hospital in Buenos Aires had activated its contingency plan for catastrophic situations and was ready to intervene if necessary.

Meanwhile firefighters struggled to Control the blaze. "It is a complex fire. It will be a long fire," said Fabian Garcia, civil defense director for Buenos Aires province, as quoted by AFP. 

Edited by: Kieran Burke