Eleven firefighting trucks have contained a factory fire in Adelaide that sent black smoke billowing into the sky.

Police said they responded to fire alarms and reports of smoke coming from Roche Foam on Churchill Road at Kilburn north of the CDB at about 7:20am.

The Metropolitan Fire Service rushed to the scene and some 11 trucks battled the blaze.

The MFS said it took firefighters 40 minutes to contain the blaze.

Northern Commander Alan Fisk said the fire was fuelled by "hydrocarbon-based" foams, as well as "glues and materials".

"We had aerial operations both on the north and south sides of this building," he said.

"[It's] quite fortunate that the building was separated from the other properties around it.

"Having the water towers working over the top of it, especially where there has been a ceiling collapse through the roof line, we were able to get good water onto the fire and that helped us get some early containment."

It caused a large amount of smoke in the area and people living nearby were advised to stay indoors.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined but police are treating it as suspicious.

"A lot of the products are smouldering away still so it's difficult to get in there and try and ascertain what's actually caused the fire," Mr Fisk said.

He said losses had been "very substantial".

"Hundreds of thousands of dollars, no doubt, and the entire factory complex has been gutted."

Churchill road was closed to traffic between Jersey Avenue and Way Street but has since been reopened.