Massive inferno rages at US warehouse

A huge fire has gutted a warehouse and clouded a US city in pillars of thick black smoke.

The General Electric storage facility in Louisville, Kentucky was destroyed in the inferno which needed around 200 firefighters to bring it under control today.

The toll could have been much worse - the building was mostly empty due to the Good Friday public holiday.

Nearby residents were ordered to stay indoors as embers and ash rained upon homes.

There have been no reports of injuries or deaths.

It is not yet known what caused the  blaze.