US: Explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas, Some 60 to 70 people were killed in the blast,

 - A massive explosion ripped through a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, Wednesday night, sending scores of injured to area hospitals, sparking fires and triggering evacuations.

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-- "It was like a nuclear bomb went off," West Mayor Tommy Muska said.

-- Some 10 to 15 buildings have been "totally demolished" and "probably 50 homes (were) heavily damaged," said George Smith, community emergency medical services director.

-- The fertilizer plant was near an apartment complex and a nursing home, authorities said.

-- Some people might be trapped in collapsed buildings, Smith said.

-- "I expect there's going to be many fatalities and many more injured people," he added.

-- State troopers in gas masks set up roadblocks, waving away cars coming off the highway

Waco: Authorities say an explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas, has injured several people. A dispatcher with the West, Texas, Fire Department says the explosion happened on Wednesday night at a fertilizer plant in the community north of Waco. She says any casualties would be taken to hospitals in Waco.
Gayle Scarbrough, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety in Waco, told television station KWTX that DPS troopers have been transporting the injured to hospitals in their patrol cars. She says six helicopters were also en route.''

KWTX reports that the explosion at West Fertilizer was reported at around 7:50 pm (local time) in a frantic call from the scene.
 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people were likely injured on Wednesday in an explosion at a fertilizer plant, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety told Reuters.

 
(CNN) -- An explosion ripped through a fertilizer plant Wednesday night in West Texas, causing dozens of injuries, officials said.

A hospital in Waco, Texas, has been told to anticipate 100 injured people coming in from the fertilizer plant area, an official at the medical facility said. Glenn Robinson, CEO of Hillcrest Hospital, said a field triage station was being set up on a football field near the plant some 18 miles north of Waco after the Wednesday night explosion.

"We have had a steady flow of patients coming in by ambulance as well as by private vehicles," Robinson told CNN's Anderson Cooper. He said more than a dozen injured people had been brought in by ambulances and "more than 20 -- that number is continuing to climb -- by private vehicle."

A photo after the explosion -- which reportedly happened around 7:50 p.m. (8:50 p.m. ET) -- showed a huge plume of smoke rising high into the air.

The West Fertilizer Plant is located just north of Waco. A school and a nursing home are among the buildings near the plant, CNN affiliate KWTX reported.

Senator Brian Birdwell said he was aware of the explosion and trying to get more information, a spokesman said.

"I stand ready to assist with any and all state resources that might aid the affected area," Birdwell said in a written statement.

Tommy Alford, who works in a convenience store about three miles from the plant, told CNN that several volunteer firefighters were at the store when they spotted smoke.

Alford said the firefighters headed toward the scene and then between five and 10 minutes later, he heard a massive explosion.

Hazardous material teams were being rushed to the scene, an emergency management official said.

Updated (10:52 p.m.): Several homes are on fire, and residents of a nearby retirement home are trapped inside after an explosion at a fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas, a small town near Waco. The cause of the explosion and extent of the damage is unclear, but the local Department of Public Safety says that several people are severely injured. The explosion could be felt as far away as Dallas, which is nearly 100 miles away. (Scroll to the bottom of this post for a live feed from the local NBC affiliate.)
Witnesses nearby reported seeing a massive fireball rise from the site of the plant. It's all pretty scary for those nearby. "I said, 'This thing is going to blow' ... and I told my mom and dad to get in the car," one witness told the Waco Tribune. "I was standing next to my car with my fiancee, waiting for my parents to come out and [the plant] exploded. It knocked us into the car... Every house within about four blocks is blown apart."
Once again, little is known about the incident. A hazmat team and firefighters had been dispatched to the fertilizer plant after reports of a fire. Apparently the explosion occurred after they arrived, and several firefighters were injured. "There's nothing I can tell you other than that we've had an explosion," the West, Texas Fire Department told the press. "There are injuries, casualties, it's terrible." The CEO of the local Hillcrest Hospital said that they anticipate about 100 injured people.
With the recent terror attack in Boston, an explosion like this is certainly unsettling. But again, we don't yet know what caused the explosion, so don't jump to any conclusions. It is worth noting that this week is the 20th anniversary of the end of the deadly siege in Waco. This is a developing story, and we'll update you with new information as it flows in.

Image via Instagram / andybartee
 
Image via Twitter / ReidGolson
Waco Tribune reporter Kirsten Crow has been live tweeting from the scene and says that the injured are being treated on the local football field.

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