Qld residents evacuated as shed fire rages

Residents have been evacuated from their homes as 11 firefighting crews battle a blaze at an industrial shed filled with chemicals in Queensland's Wide Bay region.

The fire, generating a thick plume of black smoke, started shortly after 11.30am at a property on Lower Mountain Road in Hervey Bay.

A Queensland Fire Service spokeswoman could not confirm how many people have been evacuated but said a 500 metre exclusion zone is in place.