(CNN) — As the sun set and businesses started to close in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday, the evening calm was suddenly shattered by a giant explosion near the city’s airport.

A UPS freight plane crashed shortly after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport –– ripping through several businesses, including a waste recycling company that keeps storage tanks of oil and propane.

With more than 38,000 gallons of fuel on board the cargo flight bound for Hawaii, the crash created a massive ball of fire – punctuated by smaller explosions from flammable material on the ground – and sent a towering plume of thick black smoke into the sky.

At least seven people are dead and 11 injured from the crash, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on social media late Tuesday, warning tho

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