Eighteen people, including seven firefighters, were slightly injured in an explosion and fire at a BASF plant in western Germany on Monday afternoon, police said. The blast took place at the German chemicals giant’s main plant in Ludwigshafen, south of Frankfurt. Prior to the police statement, BASF had said 15 employees had received minor injuries but that all were treated on site and able to go on their way. The plant’s fire brigade extinguished the blaze. Environmental monitoring vehicles detected slightly elevated levels of hydrocarbons within the site and in areas neighbouring the plant. “…