West fertilizer plant explosion Texas, U.S.An industrial accident

West fertilizer plant explosion

West fertilizer plant explosion
Date	April 17, 2013
Time	7:50 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Location	West Fertilizer Co., 1471 Jerry Mashek Drive, West, Texas, U.S.
Coordinates	31.816°N 97.088°WCoordinates: 31.816°N 97.088°W
Deaths	5 to 15[
Injuries	More than 179 hospitalized
Property damage	60–80 homes destroyed, 50–75 homes damaged, 50-unit apartment building destroyed

Map of West, Texas

On April 17, 2013, an explosion occurred at approximately 7:50 p.m. CDT (00:50 UTC, April 18) at the West Fertilizer Company plant in West, Texas, 18 miles north of Waco, Texas. Early media reports indicated mass damage to buildings and heavy casualties. It is not known what caused the blast. The explosion killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160 others.

According to a witness quoted in the The Dallas Morning News, the plant first caught fire, then exploded as firefighters were attempting to douse the flames.^[

The plant is owned by Adair Grain Incorporated. Adair received an air quality permit as a fertilizer mixing and storage facilty from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in December 2006, issued after Adair was investigated for failure to secure a permit, when a neighbor complained about an ammonia smell coming from the plant. Adair reportedly stored 54,000 pounds (27 short tons; 24 t) of anhydrous ammonia, which, along with nitric acid, is used to produce ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer, pesticide, and rodenticide.^[

Contents 1 Aftermath 2 Reaction

Aftermath

West Mayor Tommy Muska told the Waco Tribune-Herald that as of late evening, April 17, six or seven volunteer firefighters from the city were unaccounted for.^[  West EMS Director Dr. George Smith, himself injured, stated that he believes at least two emergency responders were killed.

A local middle school, West Middle School, located next to the plant, was reported to be wrecked by the blast. Other buildings in the immediate area sustained "serious damage". Up to 80 buildings near the plant were either leveled or heavily damaged. A neighboring 50-unit two-story apartment building was destroyed. Patients were evacuated from the nearby West Rest Haven nursing home.

Over 100 people were reported to be injured in the blast and were originally transported to a triage center set up at West High School's football field. It was later moved to a community center due to its proximity to the still-burning fertilizer plant. Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco received over 40 injured for treatment.  Patients were also admitted to Providence Healthcare Network in Waco, Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, and Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple.

"We do have confirmed fatalities," Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman D.L. Wilson said at a midnight news conference. "We have a tremendous amount of injuries... over 100 injuries at this time." Wilson did not confirm or deny an earlier report that the number of deaths could be in the range of 60 to 70. He said the blast zone was "just like the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City," and that there were "50 to 75" homes and businesses damaged. Sergeant William Patrick Swanton of the Waco Police Department said the operation has gone into a "search-and-rescue mode", aiming to find survivors and recover those who might be trapped in buildings. He said at least 160 people have been injured, and the firefighters who were fighting the initial fire have yet to be accounted for. Swanton said that local environmental officials and emergency personnel have said there is not a risk to the community from the smoke fumes rising from the plant.

Reaction

Those living in and around West report that the blast felt like an earthquake. The United States Geological Survey recorded the explosion as a 2.1-magnitude tremor. The blast was heard as far away as Ennis, 40 miles (64 km) NNE of West, Hillsboro, Waxahachie, DeSoto, and even as far north as Arlington. Windows were blown out in Abbott, 7 miles (11 km) NNE of West.

Texas Governor Rick Perry issued this statement on the evening of April 17:

"We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident. We have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West, and the first responders on the scene."^[

West Independent School District announced on its Twitter feed that all five of the district's schools would be closed until further notice. Also nearby school districts (Abbott ISD and Penelope ISD) have closed down their schools for a day.

Waco Police indicated that the explosion site would be treated as a crime scene out of caution. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced on the morning of April 18 that it would be sending a national response team including fire investigators, explosive experts, chemists, and canine units to investigate the site. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, an independent federal agency that investigates accidents involving industrial chemicals, also dispatched a major investigation team to West to begin searching for the cause of the disaster.^[

Urban Search and Rescue Texas Task Force 1 was deployed on the morning of April 18 to assist in search and rescue. In addition, an Incident Management Team from the Texas A&M Forest Service was also deploye^[, as was the Veterinary Emergency Team from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

Governor Perry said on April 18, an emergency declaration was “forthcoming” from President Obama, which will give the state federal aid.