Just saw this stat: "54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia" in the plant

[rainbow4321]

"West Fertilizer Co. reported having as much as 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. The OKC bomb was 4800 pounds"

via Twitter

[elleng]

1. Mayor: Fire Crews Were at Texas Plant Before Blast

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/04/18/us/ap-us-plant-explosion-fire.html?hp

[tammywammy]

6. The mayor is a volunteer firefighter and was headed that way to help.

He said he was nearly at the plant when it exploded. He also said, when asked, that his own home is heavily damaged.

[dorkzilla]

2. Holy.Shit. (no pun intended)

That's awful. Prayers (or my agnostic equivalent) for West Texas.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. ...

I'll be searching if there is a fertilizer plant near where I live.

[Arctic Dave]

4. Not only is the ammonium nitrate present but the feeder

for it is methane.

It is a massive bomb waiting to explode.

[Hekate]

5. KnR for the link. Appalling beyond words.

[texanwitch]

7. My Aunt lives in a little town close to Waco, not that far away.

Tried to call her but couldn't reach her.

I am sure she is safe but still would like to hear from her.

[tammywammy]

9. ...

[texanwitch]

10. Thank you.

[Renew Deal]

8. Are anhydrous ammonia and ammonia nitrate the same thing?

[tammywammy]

13. Not the same thing.

http://vspages.com/ammonia-vs-ammonium-nitrate-6538/

[PD Turk]

14. No

Anhydrous ammonia is a liquid and is basically household ammonia with no water added. Ammonium nitrate is a solid crystalline substance and under the right (or wrong) conditions, it is very explosive

[eppur_se_muova]

18. Not at all. Ammonia is a flammable gas which forms explosive mixtures in air ...

ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer, and also a blasting compound. It is not easy to trigger an ammonium nitrate explosion, but it can be done -- a fire in a large pile will do it. See the Texas City Disaster

[Libertas1776]

11. ugh geez

please don't let this thing come anywhere close to the Texas City disaster in 1947.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. Same thing that devastated Texas City, TX, in 1947.

SS Grandcamp (first explosion) had 2300 tons of ammonium nitrate.

SS High Flyer (second explosion) had 961 tons of ammonium nitrate and 3,600,000 pounds of sulfur.

Over 561 people officially killed, many others considered missing as they literally blew into bits or burned up. Refineries were set on fire on the waterfront, Monsanto Chemical plant was destroyed.

Explosion blew 6,350 tons of the ship's steel into the air. A two-ton anchor from the Grandcamp was hurled 1.6 miles and landed in a ten foot crater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_Disaster

[Bolo Boffin]

15. No, ammonium nitrate is a different substance.

But the amount of anhydrous ammonia dwarfs the amount of ammonium nitrate in the Texas City 1947 explosion.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. It's smaller - 54,000 lbs is 27 short tons

It's more or less a road tanker load.

[Bolo Boffin]

19. Math is hard!

Thanks, muriel!

[Soundman]

16. Isn't anhydrous a key ingredient used to make meth?

Perhaps it was thievery gone wrong. I know they keep that stuff under lock and key on the farms around here.