(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 cargo 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 nine people have died , Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told CNN on Wednesday morning, warning the numbers could climb as t

See Full Page