I don't know the time-line. I am not second guessing this case.

[cthulu2016]

Just saying as a general observation based on notable ammonium nitrate fertilizer disasters...

As a general rule, there should be an evacuation policy whenever there is a substantial fire, in a big radius around the fire relative to the particular danger.

You do not want to displace thousands of people needlessly. There is no such thing as "one death is too many" in public planning or policy -- the world could not operate on that conservative a basis. Disasters do happen.

But when a particular industrial fire is known to have the real-world potential to turn into a very, very large bomb it seems like a large evacuation zone is in order until the fire is clearly under control.

[Skink]

1. Right on cept Texas is huge

and we cool.

[Recovered Repug]

2. According to WFAA - an ABC station.

The initial fire call at the fertilizer plant was logged at 7:29 p.m. Twenty-four minutes later -- as firefighters, police and paramedics were evacuating nearby residents -- there was a devastating explosion.


It seems that an evacuation was in progress.

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