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(Reuters) -A UPS wide-body cargo plane crashed on Tuesday and erupted into a fireball moments after takeoff from the international airport in Louisville, Kentucky, killing seven, including all three aboard, and injuring 11 on the ground, officials said.

Flames from the crash, shortly before sundown, ignited a string of fires in an industrial corridor adjacent to the airport, forcing authorities to halt flight operations through the night, the officials said.

The Louisville airport, which is home to UPS Worldport - a global hub for the shipping company's air cargo operations and its largest package-handling facility worldwide - was expected to reopen on Wednesday morning.

Two runways were strewn with debris from the crash.

In a Tuesday night service alert, UPS said delivery schedules for airborne and international packages "may be affected" by the disruption.

"Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as conditions permit," it added.

The triple-engine plane was fueled for an 8-1/2 hour flight to Honolulu. It had a crew of three, UPS said. None survived, officials said.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told reporters at a late-night news briefing that four deaths were confirmed on the ground, with 11 injured people taken to hospitals.

Separately, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the death toll was at least seven and expected to rise. Some survivors had suffered "very significant" injuries, he said.

It was the first UPS cargo plane to crash since August 2013, when an Airbus aircraft went down on a landing approach to the international airport in Birmingham, Alabama, killing both crew.

Television channel WLKY, a CBS affiliate, showed video of Tuesday's crash, with flames visible as the plane took off, and the fireball erupting as it hit the ground.

Several buildings in an industrial area beyond the runway were on fire after the crash, with thick, black smoke seen rising into the evening sky.

Beshear said stricken facilities on the ground included a petroleum recycling center and an auto parts business.

"UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 4, after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

One key question for investigators is why one engine appeared to have separated from the plane before the crash, a person briefed on the matter said, pointing to video images of airfield debris.