WEST PITTSBURG -- Fires continued to burn this morning at a plant storing magnesium, a metal that can explode if it comes into contact with water.

Fire officials said they had no choice but to let the flames burn out -- which could possibly take days -- at the Remacor Inc. storage facility in Lawrence County.

"If we were to put water on this right now, it would be a major disaster," Taylor Township fire chief David Allegro said Wednesday night.

No injuries were reported and no one had to be evacuated, officials said.

The fire began shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday, apparently when a drum containing magnesium reacted with moisture, which caused it to explode. The explosion caused an electric line to catch fire, which in turn caused more fires, Allegro said.

Remacor develops products for use in the steel industry. Magnesium powder is used in steel refining. The West Pittsburg facility is located several miles south of New Castle.

Some customers of Penn Power were briefly left without power until electricity could be rerouted.

Remacor officials could not immediately be reached for comment.