Texas fertilizer plant explosion: "every house within about four blocks is blown apart,”

[dixiegrrrrl]

Last edited Thu Apr 18, 2013, 12:26 AM - Edit history (2)

Multiple casualties reported in Texas fertilizer plant explosion (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

http://rt.com/usa/texas-fertilizer-plant-explosion-036/

another photo here:
http://ow.ly/i/1UQJ2

Please feel free to add any info/pics you have found.

UPDATE:
Mayor of West, Tex. gave a briefing, I heard it on Dallas News, online
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20130417-live-video-explosion-injuries-reported-at-fertilizer-plant-near-waco-in-west-texas.ece

The plant had a fire BEFORE the explosion, there were firemen at the fire, then the Explosion happened, was felt for 50 miles around.
Nursing home with 133 patients and a Jr.High school were damaged and on fire from explosion. Many many people missing.

Mayor of West Texas ( pop. 2800) is also vol. firefighter.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. "there are firefighters down"

I am following on RT twitter:
https://twitter.com/RT_com

[pinboy3niner]

37. UPDATE: 1 LEO, 5 firefighters dead; hospitals told to prep for up to 200 patients

UPDATE: The evacuees are being moved from the football field to a location six blocks away.

One policeman and five firefighters have been reported dead.

Hospitals have been told to prepare for up to 200 patients.

The entire city of West is being evacuated due to fear of a second explosion.

http://www.kwkt.com/news/caught-camera-fertilizer-plant-explosion-near-waco

[dixiegrrrrl]

43. Worse yet:70 people have been confrimed dead, including five firefighters and one police officer.

This is from RT Twitter feed and RT news page, they are keeping an updated blog.

A nursery home was destroyed by the blast and numerous buildings were damaged.

3:40 GMT: 70 people have been confrimed dead, including five firefighters and one police officer. The FAA has placed a temporary flight restriction over the surrounding airspace.

3:35 GMT: Dr. George Smith, Director of West EMS, told KWTX he believes there are between 60 and 70 people dead.

3:34 GMT: Between 75-100 homes and businesses have been completely destroyed with the number injured exceeding 200, as per ABC News.

http://rt.com/usa/explosion-texas-fertilizer-plant-038/

[Tx4obama]

49. The TV just said TWO confirmed dead.

Hard to know what to believe right now.

[dixiegrrrrl]

55. Yeah...I know...

I am following Anonymous, Tim Pool, and RT...

What station are you listening to?

[Tx4obama]

57. Erin Burnett on CNN is the one that said 'two confirmed dead'.

I hate mentioning 'CNN' right now considering how John King messed up earlier this afternoon

[sabrina 1]

65. I don't think they are live. The Erin Burnett show was from earlier. Piers Morgan repeat on now

and still saying two dead. But live reporting from other sources, Mother Jones eg, is saying that at least 70 are dead.

An entire apartment building has been destroyed. This I believe is a nursing home, or maybe the apartment building:

:large

[Lone_Star_Dem]

77. EMS Director Says 60 To 70 Dead In West Explosion

WACO (April 17, 2013)--West EMS Director Dr. George Smith says as many as 60 or 70 people died and at least 100 were injured Wednesday night in a fertilizer plant explosion in West.

A rescuer earlier said he knew of five deaths.
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Explosion-Injuries-Reported-At-West-Fertilizer-Plant-203505331.html

I'm seriously hoping this is being misreported.

[Tx4obama]

80. An EMS 'doctor' was on live with Piers a short time ago and he said he's heard of five deaths.

I think it's too soon to know all the facts.

Also...

Breaking NewsVerified account ?@BreakingNews

West Mayor: No clear number of dead, injured in Texas explosion - @AP http://bit.ly/11yZYPD

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews/status/324737819266387968

-snip-

An official from a hospital in nearby Waco says at least 66 people were taken for treatment there, including 38 who were hurt seriously.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Texas-fertilizer-plant-blast-injures-dozens-4443262.php#ixzz2QmlK3puA

And the lady on TV right now says the blast killed her dog.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

85. Not that 5 would be a good number, but it's so much better than 60-70

In small towns like this one is, things can easily get distorted. You're not dealing with people who have usually had to deal with any real large scale tragedy before in their lives. I keep reminding myself of that fact as I hear some of these early reports.

My heart is breaking for this community.

[Marrah_G]

52. Oh NO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heartbreaking!!!!

[KittyWampus]

2. there are houses built around a fertilizer plant? Or a fertilizer plant was built near houses?

[bluestate10]

7. Poor zoning laws. One sees that type of stuff in areas of the country where republicans have

been in charge for long periods of time.

[bluedigger]

72. Zoning laws are intrusive on personal liberty.

They hate that shit in Texas.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. Dunno which came first, but it was a HUGE blast.

The have used the football field as triage area, but now are having to evacuate that.
The local command center also seems to have either damage or is in way of the fires, they are talking about having to evacuate it..
this is a small town outside of Waco called ..West...Texas.
Or so Tim Pool reprots.
Twitter feeds coming in fast.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. It's Texas.

[SoCalDem]

64. Housing for people at the bottom of the ladder is often

in undesirable locations..

What a shameful thing it is that people live near such danger

In almost any town of any size, drive through the poorer parts & that's where you find dirty industries or the leftovers from industries that have left their shit behind them..

[lpbk2713]

75. I saw in another OP a nearby nursing home was destroyed.

A nursing home next to a chemical plant?

WTF!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

83. Well, not "next to"....a couple of blocks from.

Actually, on edge of the town.
It is a tiny town, 2800 people, at least 200 injured...mayor says the firefighters are "unaccounted for"
and the mayor implied he has a good idea that a lot of folks have died, but is not talking about it yet.

But unfortunately, it was a Monster blast, destroyed houses in a 4 block radius.

[dixiegrrrrl]

88. Here is Google shot of town, the plant IS right next to the school...

and the town..

Scroll down and look to your right.

No wonder so many houses were damaged.

https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews/status/324744110567215105/photo/1

[lpbk2713]

91. Look at the density of the neighborhood.

I can't fathom how they were allowed to coexist.

[kestrel91316]

90. Texas is one of those places with practically NO zoning

restrictions of any kind. You can build a beautiful home in an expensive neighborhood and some guy can put a pig farm right next door if you live in DFW, from what I hear.

Beats me why so many Texans think their place is just about heaven, with insanity like that.

[ag_dude]

101. Houston is like that but you generalize way too much

Most cities do have zoning here and even Houston has restrictions on something like this. North of Houston actually has areas with insanely restrictive zoning. Where on earth did you get the idea that Texas has virtually no zoning?

I'd dare say that a good portion of rural towns with less than 3,000 residents and all volunteer city governments don't have anything resembling zoning regardless of where they are.

But don't let the opportunity to take a dig at Texas pass you by.

[kestrel91316]

138. It's not a dig at Texas per se. It's a dig at anyplace that fails to adequately regulate

dangerous commercial endeavors.

[ag_dude]

140. Then don't lie in your thread title

To claim that Texas is a place with practically no zoning is either completely ignorant of the reality or a blatant lie.

[Coyotl]

120. Yes, in most towns in the rural Midwest farming belt!

I have been poisoned by one in my home town, a gas release of ammonia.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Reports that a nearby nursing home has collapsed in #Waco TX. People may be trapped inside.

per Tim Pool, Twitter..

( y'all know him from his fantastic camera coverage of NYC Occupy)

[bluestate10]

4. Looks bad. nt

[Marrah_G]

5. omg

[ChoppinBroccoli]

6. Accidental Or Intentional? The Fact That It's In Waco Makes Me Suspicious

Any reports on whether it was accidental (it was a building full of fertilizer, after all) or intentional yet?

[Texasgal]

11. West is NOT in Waco.

FYI.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. I admit, my mind went there, but

They had a small fire, which led to a big boom. Industrial accident, it's a fertilizer plant

[Texasgal]

16. Why would your mind go there?

West is NOT in Waco. It's 20 miles away.

[Kali]

22. expertise

do not question the expert please

[glinda]

116. Small fire... wonder how that started.

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. Hey Choppin..too early to tell....

did you see the pics uppost>
HUGE.
and 30 mph winds and fire.

[Stallion]

30. 18 miles or so to Branch Davidian home

Sounds like an accident-fire got out of control and inadequate resources to put it down -but it looks like its only 18-20 miles North of Branch Davidian home as crow flys

[Lone_Star_Dem]

60. They had a fire that had flared back up.

The fire department in a community that small - 2500 to 3000 people - really wasn't equipped to deal with the situation is my guess. Which is a total guess, but that's a tiny little town.

They sprayed water on the ammonium nitrate at some point and triggered the explosion.

This really sounds like a series of horrific accidents.

[tblue]

102. It's in Waco?

I don't watch TV news anymore so I'm not up in the details. Oh my gosh! I hope it wasn't intentional.

[tammywammy]

104. No, it's in West, Texas.

North of Waco.

[dixiegrrrrl]

107. Apparently there was fire at the plant, firemen responded..

and then it blew.
all of the firemen are now "unaccounted for".
Too early to know if it was set or not.

couple of years ago the plant had some problems, says Twitter.

[Texasgal]

8. OH CRAP!

It's not looking good.

West is a cool little town.

[dgibby]

9. OMG!

CNN is covering this now. Many serious injuries according to Glen Robinson, CEO of a casualty receiving hospital.

As awful as this is, I sure hope it was an accident, not foul play.

Eye witness says apt complex, nursing home damaged.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Live coverage and video of explosion

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/powerful-exploson-rocks-town-north-of-waco-203508001.html

THIS video shows the actual explosion:
http://www.kwkt.com/news/caught-camera-fertilizer-plant-explosion-near-waco

[dgibby]

31. Thanks for the links.

CNN is reporting that there is a 2nd fertilizer storage tank that is intact, but there is fear that it might blow, so more people are being evacuated.

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. Local news says more than one explosion.

A 2nd at least followed the first huge boom.

[Marr]

63. Jesus. That is unreal. /nt

[tammywammy]

17. Everyone north of there, including DFW area needs to make sure their windows are closed

The wind in DFW is coming from the south 20-25 mph.

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. Good point, Tammy...

thanks.

[Eleanors38]

18. KEYE (CBS) just now: area hospitals told to expect 200+ casualties

School badly damaged, nursing home in danger, major evactuations, many helicopters using football field as landing site. Explosion resulted from ammonium fire.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. They abandoned the field, due to danger

Listening to radio traffic.

I should be listening to my local, we are in red flag, but hey...

[Eleanors38]

35. Rain expected early morn, hope it helps.

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. It's the material

These fertilizers are oxidizers, water is not what they need, but very specific chemicals that will put them out.

This is a hazardous materials response.

[Eleanors38]

121. What a mess, no easy way out if this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

137. They got several teams

I was listening to the scanner

So that was not a LNG term problem

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. pic here of the explosion in fireball stage

https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews/status/324722489261449216/photo/1

I tried to upload pci but Image Shack is not working for me.

[Warpy]

27. Must have snapped that picture

just before the blast wave dumped him on his kiester. I hope he got out OK. I hope everybody did, but this looks bad.

Fertilizer is nasty stuff. It's what McVeigh used to level the Murrah building.

Texas sure knows how to throw an explosion. The Texas City disaster was 66 years and one day ago.

[Eleanors38]

40. Basically same stuff went off in '46; debris rained down miles away.

[sabrina 1]

67. This video is so upsetting, I hope they are alright. It seems they were quite far away

but maybe the second explosion was the reason for what happened. See around 29 secs when they seem to have been affected by an explosion, you can hear a child begging her father to leave and they stop video taping. I really hope they are okay:

[dixiegrrrrl]

71. I figure they are ok, since he managed to post it on You Tube.

Blast was felt 50 miles away, they say.

[polly7]

76. OMG. I hope they're alright ....... how horrible.

My heart goes out to everyone in West and area tonight.

[Glimmer of Hope]

127. Omg. This is horrible.

[riverbendviewgal]

23. big government will help like it should.

Sending prayers for these unfortunate people. I can not imagine this happening where I live. Horrendous.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. It's also a small vol FD responding

I love volunteers, but they are not equipped for this.

[dixiegrrrrl]

39. Take a look at this coverage, you will be surprised.

hundreds of rescue, ambulance, etc. are out in force.
http://rt.com/on-air/massive-explosion-rocks-fertilizer-plant-in-texas/

[riverbendviewgal]

42. inspiring

Brings tears to my eyes. My boyfriend is a volunteer firefighter. For over 25 years. You have to be special to risk your life for others. May they be safe.

[nadinbrzezinski]

46. I am not talking now, I am talking initial response

Before the explosion.

[Eleanors38]

45. Vol FDs often take up protection of areas "uncovered" by units responding to disaster.

[dixiegrrrrl]

58. The town has about 2800 people.

Can you imagine the impact of 60-70 people dead and even more injured ?

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. They are evacuating the town.

"Evacuation of #waco toxic amonia fumes coming from explosion,chemical tanks on fire,
wind is carrying across local areas."

Anon tweet..

yes, I know the town is NOT in Waco, but that is the hash tag they used originally so they are stuck with it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. For reference...ammonia displaces oxygen

[SidDithers]

59. Oh ffs...

Ammonia in high enough concentrations will kill you if you inhale it. It's corrosive and will burn your respiratory tract.

Displaced oxygen is the least of your concerns if there's an ammonia leak.

Sid

[X_Digger]

73. Shh, don't nudge the expert. *snort* n/t

[kestrel91316]

93. OFFS, grow the hell up. You're just jealous that she

has the nerve to be a WOMAN who knows more about this sort of thing than you do.

Sheesh. You and your nasty stalker friends make me

[X_Digger]

96. Jealous? No. Tickled at internet "experts", regardless of gender. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Ok from scanner traffic the hot zone

Where you don't go without clearance and equipment, is growing

[The Straight Story]

29. damage pics:

http://imgur.com/a/nXxzg

[dixiegrrrrl]

32. Live helicopter footage..MASSIVE number of first aid vehicles on the ground

Cancel the video...it went off air.


I think this may be a loop video, but it sure covers a lot of activity..

http://rt.com/on-air/massive-explosion-rocks-fertilizer-plant-in-texas/

[Aerows]

33. I hope everyone is okay

we've had too many helpings of tragedy in the last couple of days

[City Lights]

34. OMG, that's awful.

[JaneyVee]

36. Reports are saying 60-70 casualties so far.

From kwtx.com

[rainbow4321]

47. OMG...

"No one in this town is unaffected at this point", per KXAS..given how small the town is (approx 2,800)


They just showed video of the apt complex..well what is left of it.

[GreenStormCloud]

110. 70+ fatalities, hundreds of casulties. N/T

[Skip Intro]

41. Oh wtf? n/t

[nolabear]

44. How many times this week can I say "Oh my God..."

I'm getting catastrophe fatigue. This is horrible.

[dixiegrrrrl]

50. A definite disturbance in the force.

All week so far, and this is only Wed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. We are on red flag for the next two days (high fire danger)

Ok that was shitty

Weird mood does not start to describe it

[Catherine Vincent]

53. Horrific!

[rdking647]

54. latest reports from nbc dallas

200+ injuries 40 critically
100+ homes/buisiness heavily damaged /destroyed
apartment complex has collapsed.
no fly zone in effect areound the town of west,texas
possibly as many as 60-70 fatalities
the blast was felt 30+ miles away

[dixiegrrrrl]

56. Thank you!

I found online Dallas tv station..

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20130417-live-video-explosion-injuries-reported-at-fertilizer-plant-near-waco-in-west-texas.ece

[anneboleyn]

61. Thank you. CNN is also covering live

[Horse with no Name]

62. Scott and White Hospital in Temple

TEMPLE, Texas – (April 17, 2013) An incident at a fertilizer plant in the town of West has occurred. Scott & White Hospital – Temple has activated its internal incident management system and is preparing to receive and treat victims of this emergency.

The hospital remains open and operating while the Emergency Department staff make preparations to evaluate and treat arriving victims. As the Level 1 trauma center for the region, Scott & White Hospital – Temple is communicating and coordinating with emergency responders out of Waco to provide care for victims. We have limited information about how many victims might be brought to Scott & White.

Shortly after 10 p.m. we received one patient at McLane Children's Hospital Scott & White.

[Horse with no Name]

68. They just said "Air 1" from Tyler was there

as well as Careflight.

I expect to see Brooke Army Medical Center sending the big air evac helicopters for burns...because I imagine that Parkland is overwhelmed too.

[susanr516]

66. Damn.

West is a cool little town. Just heartbreaking.

[tammywammy]

74. Best damn kolaches in the state

At the Little Czech Stop

http://www.czechstop.net/

[MrsBrady]

79. I know...

this was my first thought....

when I drive to Austin, I always stop to get a home made sandwitch.

I know everything is way more important than the czechstop, but I'm still sad.

[redqueen]

139. That's how many of us know the place.

Nothing to feel bad about... that's how many Texans know people from West... We stop by, rest a while, chat and enjoy the food. They're nice people. It's a nice place. I couldn't help but think of them when I heard about this.

It's so sad.

I'm glad I found this thread.

[texanwitch]

125. I am a Czech Texan.

West is a nice little town.

[nadinbrzezinski]

69. Over scanner hazmat is on scene

Ammonia and a grain silo...

Wow

[Demo_Chris]

70. Watch and listen to this entire video (warning: very sad)

[ChangeUp106]

78. Couldn't Do It

Had to turn it off when the kid started screaming

[MrBig]

81. Wow, how horrific and frightening n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

82. OMG. That poor baby.

What a horrible parent. That poor baby.

[Demo_Chris]

84. The parent didn't understand. And yeah, that's a heartbreaking video. nt

[Fuddnik]

115. Hopefully, it didn't end in tragedy.

The guy did get home to post it on Youtube. Hope he had his child treated before he changed his underwear.

[Blue Diadem]

87. Heart breaking hearing that child. n/t

[susanr516]

89. OMG

That's scary.

[Hekate]

106. That really got to me. IDIOT parent to take the kid to watch a disaster.

That poor kid was panicked and deafened ("Dad, I can't hear, dad, let's just get out of here" over and over).

Oh God.

[Demo_Chris]

112. yeah :(

[dixiegrrrrl]

86. NBC 5 is reporting 75-100 homes and businesses were destroyed and 200 people reported injured

This is a small town of 2800 or so people...

This is a catastrophe in a town of this size, losing homes, businesses, the Jr. High School, and the nursing home, which was essentialy destroyed.

god...........

[Rowdyboy]

94. Local CBS affiliate currently (midnight CST) reporting "dozens" dead

Still reporting live

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/live-video/

[tammywammy]

97. Press Conference on now

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Explosion-Rocks-Fertilizer-Plant-During-Fire-203508011.html


They're not saying how many are dead, just that there are fatalities and the number will go up during the search & rescue. House by house searches.

"will not confirm nor deny" the 60-70 dead number that's been reported.

[Rowdyboy]

99. Watching it with you...This is so heartbreaking

What a nightmarish week. And April 19th is still to come.

[tammywammy]

100. It's awful.

DPS Trooper D.L. Wilson was the man speaking.

[dixiegrrrrl]

134. April 19th?????

What's April 19th signify?

[Rowdyboy]

135. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians at Waco and the Oklshoma City federal building both happened

on 4/19 back in the 1990's

[anneboleyn]

95. Unbelievable. That video of the explosion (with the audio of the little girl) is just so sad.

[anneboleyn]

98. Sheriff is saying the apartment complex is a "skeleton"

A complex filled with FIFTY units.

[dixiegrrrrl]

103. They showed that building on the local Dallas News..

It looked like the building in Oklahoma City that McVeigh blew up.
All of the fronts of all the apts ( building was 2 stories high) were completely blown away,
interiors of apts also damaged.
Much like a tornado hit.

[tammywammy]

105. And we're looking at the at night

Just imagine the morning.

[GreenStormCloud]

108. My wife heard and felt the ground tremble in Waxahachie, TX. N/T

[dixiegrrrrl]

109. How far away is that?

[GreenStormCloud]

113. About 50 miles. N/T

[MrsBrady]

111. this feed is still live as of me posting this link

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Explosion-Rocks-Fertilizer-Plant-During-Fire-203508011.html

they seem to be updating the print portion under the video feed as they get new information...

[MrsBrady]

114. local NBC out of DFW says press conference at 6am central.

local NBC out of DFW says press conference at 6am central.

I think they've found all the injured they are going to find, and now over night and into the morning
will be looking for the dead.

so very sad.


I know we are in the middle of a drought, but I think tonight is the one night I won't pray for rain.
They don't need to be working in rain.

my prayers with my fellow Texans tonight.

[ReRe]

117. Disaster-a-day...

... I'm getting the feeling that very soon we will see nothing but disaster news on TV... as the USA implodes upon itself. Where's Nero?

[Lobo27]

118. Grandma says the windows of her house are all shattered.

Her and my grandpa took cover in a closet.

[dixiegrrrrl]

119. Where does she live?

That must have been very scary, to have their house damaged and not know why at first.

[Lobo27]

123. I estimate no more then 1 mile away, maybe a lot less.

Keep in it was felt as far as 70 miles away. They are also evacuating, they fear some of the chemicals still in tanks might blow up as well.

[dixiegrrrrl]

132. Oh Lobo....I hope she and her familiy are ok....

That has gotta be so nerve racking...

[cali]

128. omg I'm so glad your grandparents are OK.

[KingFlorez]

122. Terrible

Homes shouldn't even be that close to a fertilizer plant or any sort of plant for that matter, but Texas isn't big on zoning laws.

[Recursion]

124. Why are there houses within four blocks of a fertilizer factory?

[texanwitch]

126. I wonder if the houses were there first.

Then the fertilizer factory.

[slackmaster]

136. Topographic maps on historicaerials.com tell the story.

The plant was built in 1958. The 1957 topo map shows no buildings in the vicinity. By 1971, there were buildings near the plant. Bottom line is that the plant was there first, the residential buildings came later.

http://www.historicaerials.com

[ag_dude]

129. The town is a narrow rural town.

Perhaps half a mile wide and two miles long at most.

It's built in between a major interstate and a rail line and the fertilizer factory is built next to the rail line. I only remember as far back as the early 80s but it's always been there in that time.

A LOT (I mean a LOT) of small rural towns across the nation have similar situations.

[hatrack]

130. True - drive through any small KS or NE town, and what's in the middle of downtown?

A grain elevator. Not the same potential as a fertilizer or petrochemical plant, but plenty of power in dust explosions.

[ag_dude]

131. A good portion of those grain elevators also have fertilizer tanks

Far less than half but selling fertilizer is a common way for grain elevators to expand their business. They're almost always next to rail lines which is a pretty big requirement.

Those that are complaining about the lack of zoning (there was one thread taking the usual pot shots at Texas over it) don't really know how common that setup is.

[dixiegrrrrl]

133. Excellent info....helps to picture the area.

Every tiny town in this area has same setup, all along the once bustling RR tracks.
Not all have fertilizer plants, of course, but same design, being built around a RR depot.