The city's schools and offices have been ordered to close on Sunday so that the authorities can focus on the rescue efforts as the smoke spreads in the region, according to state television citing local authorities.
Saturday's explosion is believed to have occurred in the container port, which is located by the Hormuz Strait in the Persian Gulf.
Even after the fire has raged for about ten hours, the rescue service is struggling to put out the fire. According to state media, the intensity of the fire has even increased and may pose a risk of spreading to other areas and containers.
No official explanation for the explosion has been given, but the port's customs office earlier stated on state television that it was likely due to a fire that broke out in a storage depot for chemical and hazardous materials.
Chinese rocket fuel
No one directly suggests that the explosion is the result of an attack, but Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi - who on Wednesday led nuclear energy talks with the US in Oman - said that "our security services have high alertness in mind due to previous cases of sabotage attempts and murder operations designed to provoke a legitimate response."
The port is said to have received rocket fuel from China in March, according to the private security company Ambrey.
"The fire was reportedly the result of incorrect handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles," Ambrey writes in a statement.
Iran has not confirmed that the country received the delivery.
Minister to the port
The explosion is said to have been so powerful that it could be felt and heard five miles away, according to the Fars news agency controlled by Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
According to local authorities, air ambulances from nearby provinces were put on high alert and rescue helicopters were called in.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian expresses sympathy for the victims and announced that he has issued an order to investigate the causes of the fire.
The state-owned Iranian oil company Nioc states that the explosion has no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, or oil pipelines and adds that "the oil facilities in Bandar Abbas are currently operating without interruption."
