An explosion at a paraxylene plant in Zhangzhou, Fujian province has sparked a major fire Monday night, just days after violent protests broke out in China's southern Guangdong against the construction of a similar petrochemical plant.

According to the state-owned Xinhua News, the fire began at one of the plant's pumping stations for a condensate storage.

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More than 400 fire fighters had rushed to the scene. There were no casualties although three had been reportedly injured.

It is still unclear why the fire began or whether any of the paraxylene plant's facilities had been shut down. The plant's operator, Dragon Aromatics, has yet to issue a statement.

Dragon Aromatics is a subsidiary of the Taiwanese petrochemical Xianglu Group, one of the largest paraxylene manufacturers in China.

Monday's explosion comes in the wake of violent demonstrations held on Sunday in Maoming, Guangdong.

Although protests are uncommon in China, local residents marched the streets to show their discontent over the construction of a paraxylene plant.

Violent clashes broke out as police lobbed tear gas canisters at angry protesters.

The Maoming government said that the protests had disrupted the city's traffic but that it had been eventually dispersed.

However, small demonstration blocs continued to persist and had spread to the provincial capital in Guangzhou on Tuesday, BBC relayed.

Paraxylene, also known as PX, is a raw material used in the manufacture of plastics and polyester for water bottles, x-rays, photographic film and fabrics. The petrochemical can cause nausea and dizziness if injested or inhaled, and can even cause damage to the central nervous system.

The recent rise in environmental protests in China have sparked in part by the citizens' growing concern over paraxylene, often resulting in the forced-delay or cancellation of construction of PX plants - to the chagrin of local governments striving to become top-notch industrial bases.

TagsParaxylene, environmental protests, Dragon Aromatics, Petrochemical plant, Xianglu Group, PX, Maoming protest, Fujian plant explosion