HARTSVILLE, Tenn. -- No one was killed in a huge explosion at a natural gas pumping plant that was apparently slammed by a tornado, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

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There was no one working at the Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. plant when it erupted Tuesday night and sent flames shooting hundreds of feet in the air, said Brent Archer, a spokesman for Houston-based Nisource Gas Transmission.

The plant in Hartsville, about 50 miles northeast of Nashville, apparently took a direct hit by a tornado, Archer said.

Firefighters managed to contain the massive fire early Wednesday.

"It was like Armageddon out here," said resident Lawrence York.

York watched his own house blow away while he was huddled in his backyard bunker.

In the morning light, neighbors across the street from the plant were surprised to see their houses not even burned from the flames, although many were blown away by the tornadoes.

Michael and Lee Keisling were in their house when the tornado hit. They huddled in the bathtub, which hasn't been found yet, but they both survived.

However, less a mile away, on Pleasant Valley Road, Phillip and Tammy Brawner were injured, and their home was lifted off its foundation with them inside.

"She has a broken neck. It cut off her finger,” said resident Jim Shrum.

Brawner's father said the two got to their neighbor's house covered in blood but alive.

"The whole time, I'm saying, 'I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive.' That gives you hope to pick up the pieces and keep going," said York.

Westmoreland Mayor Ricky Woodard said the fire was about seven miles away from his city and had spread to houses nearby.

Ashley Beff, who lives about five miles from the plant, said she witnessed the explosion and said it caused the windows in her apartment to shake violently.

"It was God-awful," she said. "It was like an explosion. The city looked like it was on fire."

Kelly Merritt, a spokesman for Columbia, said the company shut off the gas on both sides of the station, which is used to boost pressure along the gas line that runs from Louisiana to the West Virginia-Kentucky line.

The plant appears to be totally destroyed.