Explosion Rocks Fertilizer Plant During Fire

[MadBadger]

Last edited Wed Apr 17, 2013, 10:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: NBC5 DFW

An explosion has been reported at a fertilizer plant in the town of West in McLennan County on Wednesday night.

The fire at the plant in the 300 block of Haven Street was reported shortly after 7 p.m.

Viewers tell NBC 5 that a nearby funeral home and an apartment complex sustained serious damage after the blast.

People as far north as south Arlington reported feeling the explosion, with many thinking at first that they felt an earthquake.



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

---

Looks like Rachel just got it. The smoke cloud is ridiculous

TEXAS

[TexasTowelie]

1. That's over 50 miles away.

I'll be surprised if there are not a number of people injured. Additional coverage from KWTX out of Waco which is about 20 miles away:

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Explosion-Injuries-Reported-At-West-Fertilizer-Plant-203505331.html

People are trapped in a nursing home.

[kiri]

3. an example of a bad posting

What state is this? How would anyone know where this county is located?

The state and location must be given in the first line.

[kas125]

4. Evidently, it's Texas - Police report fertilizer plant explosion near Waco, Texas

Police report fertilizer plant explosion near Waco, Texas

Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:59pm EDT

(Reuters) - Authorities in Texas reported a large explosion on Wednesday at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, near Waco, but there was no immediate official word on the damage or casualties.

The blast, reported shortly before 8 p.m. central time, was confirmed by Waco police dispatch operators.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/18/us-usa-explosion-texas-idUSBRE93H02A20130418

[MadBadger]

7. Do you really not know what DFW means?

[uppityperson]

28. Detroit free world?

[Quantess]

72. No, what does it mean?

[octothorpe]

74. Dallas/Fort Worth

[arcane1]

10. I believe LBN rules require posting the actual headline n/t

[TexasProgresive]

71. If I remember correctly DU 2 allowed to add location to the headline

The rules don't seem to allow that now. But it would be courteous to put that in the first line before pasting the snip.

[Aerows]

43. What is your problem?

Jesus. People could be dead, and you are complaining about how people are reporting a story.

Jesus.

[Purveyor]

46. Hell, I posted an 'actual headline' from Reuters with "Hundreds Believed Injured In Texas Fertilizer

Blast"... and it was locked out of LBN as not from a reputable source and duplicate topic.

Granted, someone posted a headline of a blast but not with the seriousness of the explosion.

Wonder how many LBN were allow to run with the Boston blast...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022697475

[uppityperson]

50. Glad you followed to the earlier thread and posted here. To clear up misunderstandings, here is the

locking post on your LBN dupe, and the locking message.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=457905

Locking as a duplicate. Thanks for understanding. Here's the link... ETA LBN SOP.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014457775

Would you please add your links and info at that one? Thank you.

To avoid misunderstanding, here is the relevant part of LBN SOP

Statement of Purpose

Post the latest news from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only. No analysis or opinion pieces. No duplicates. News stories must have been published within the last 12 hours. Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.

[freshwest]

56. You're one of our most reliable news reporters and are much appreciated.

[freshwest]

55. Indeed.

[davidpdx]

33. No, it's pretty close

Look at post #22 for my map

[octothorpe]

73. The town of West, Texas...

That's the little town off I35 in beteen Waco and Hillsboro, isn't it? I used to always drive by there going between DFW and Austin.

[Poll_Blind]

2. Those poor people are in my thoughts and prayers tonight. When I was a little boy, the...

...oil refinery I used to live literally like 2 blocks away from, well, one of the tanks caught fire and it was right next to a number of giant liquid propane tanks. The fire lit up the sky orange all night and IIRC it went on for a few days. They kept hosing down those big propane tanks and later, after it was all over, they said if one of those liquid propane tanks had gone up it would have been like a hydrogen bomb exploded.

I feel for those poor people and I wish them safety and health.

PB

[freshwest]

5. Used to live near the Ship Channel. When the whistles went off, you knew it was bad.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

51. Yeah I grew up in Stinkadena.

In fact I have a picture of me, age four, standing out in the street with my sister. In suburbia. And there is a giant black cloud of smoke rising behind us to the north in the Ship Channel.

My sister wrote on the bottom of the picture "Amoco Virginia".

That was a ship fire that happened Nov. 8, 1959.

[freshwest]

57. Air you could chew on. And smell. And...

[Manifestor_of_Light]

61. THE AIR IS GREENER IN PASADENER

Remember the stupid bumper sticker that said, "The Grass is Greener in Pasadener"???

That's what we said--the AIR is greener.

They still have flares burning all the time. They release millions of pounds of toxic crud illegally in Bayport and the EPA does nothing.


I guess it could be worse--like Channelview or Galena Park or Northshore.

[freshwest]

63. Yep, I remember that. Even driving through with the A/C on max, it still got into the car.

I've always hated the oil industry because of what it did to people and the environment. A person learns to take shallow breaths. Those were the days of frontier mentality - screw up one place and move to another. But there is no frontier. It is past time to get away from this, but damn if the energy giants aren't holding on with all fours.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

64. And on Hwy 225 going East, there is a fertilizer plant AND a Houston sewage treatment plant!!!

Houston must have put it there on purpose, to make Pasadena smell even worse.
And that's before you GET to Pasadena!!

[freshwest]

65. That acidic refinery smell and the nauseating smell of the bayous.. when I moved to dairy country,

they called it derriere (dairy air) but it was way better.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

66. They're nasty smells so I call them "nastomers" instead of "isomers".

Credit goes to hubby for that one.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. ...

[DeSwiss]

6. MORE

MORE

[Poll_Blind]

9. That video is a fake. That's from the Pepcon rocket fuel fire a while back. See here:

PB

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. Sounds like a hell of a shock wave.

[rdking647]

12. im listening to the police scanner from the area

it doesnt sound good. reports of heavy damage to a nursing home,school and apt building. major damage reported in a 4 block radius,the interstate is shut down. multiple choppers on route to take the injured to waco
http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/2663/web

[Solly Mack]

14. Just heard the nursing home collapsed per Reuters.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/04/18/uk-usa-explosion-texas-idUKBRE93H02620130418

He added that a nearby nursing home collapsed from the explosion and that people were believed to be trapped inside.

[uppityperson]

16. Awww damn

[Solly Mack]

17. I know. :(

[MadBadger]

21. Nursing home is literally like 500 ft from the plant

[Solly Mack]

37. April is shaping up to be a truly bad month.

[davidpdx]

22. Its obvious this (whatever it maybe) is going to be worse than the death toll and number of injured

in Boston. I wonder how close that nursing home was to the fertilizer plant? If anyone knows, please let us know.

Edit: West Rest Haven is the nursing home. The fertilizer plant is called West Fertilizer and is to the right on the map below.

Across the way there are 2 hospitals, I have to wonder if they sustained damage as well.

Here's a link to the map:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=300+block+Haven+Street,+Waco+Texas&hl=en&ll=31.816113,-97.089298&spn=0.002621,0.004823&safe=off&hnear=300+Haven+St,+West,+Texas+76691&t=m&z=18

Updated map link

[rdking647]

23. the nursing home is about 1 1/2 blocks away

[TexasTowelie]

39. I've been through West, Texas probably 100 times in my life on I-35

and also know plenty of the side roads through the area. The town is known by travelers for its Czech kolache shop and then WestFest in June. The town has about 3,000 people and is less than 2 square miles.

The reports are coming in with at least 200 injured and homes destroyed.

Latest link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/explosion-rocks-town-west-texas/story?id=18983638

[LeftInTX]

13. Oh how awful.

From Waco to Arlington could feel the explosion. That is a very long distance.

[MrsBrady]

36. I'm in Fort worth and I've got friends south of here...that live 57 miles NORTH of West...

and said they felt it.

They thought they felt an earthquake.

[freethought]

15. Well that can happen

when you mishandle something like ammonium nitrate. Hope nobody was hurt.

[TexasTowelie]

40. Plenty dead and injured. Town being evacuated.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/explosion-rocks-town-west-texas/story?id=18983638

[onehandle]

18. Quick, House Republicans. Cut Federal Emergency aid to Texas before they use it! nt

[rdking647]

19. the football field that they were using for triage is being evacuated

[davidpdx]

20. Oh dear god

This happening right on the heels of the bombing in Boston. With it being near Waco and this time of year, I don't want to jump to conclusions but, it doesn't look good.

[rdking647]

24. there was a fire at the plant

firefighters where fighting it when the plant blew.....

[davidpdx]

25. So it looks like an accident for now

I know fertilizer can be dangerous in certain circumstances, but I'm not really familiar with that kind of stuff.

[Aerows]

45. It's so horrible, I can't even imagine

a worse collision of events.

[redqueen]

70. They are treating it as a crime scene for now.

No solid information either way but as a precaution they said they're treating it as a crime scene.

[MrsBrady]

26. the link in the op at the time of my post still has live feed.

This his huge.

I'm just guessing that hundreds are probably injured. I can't imagine how many are dead.

They are still worried about more explosions.

And you know what...we are thinking we might get major thunderstorms tonight...
and it's windy right now.

not good.

35 is shut down...this is the major route between Dallas and Austin and points north along I35.

My prayers to all involved.

I live in Fort Worth, and I have a friend from West...I hope his family is ok.

They are not wanting to confirm....i think there are probably many fire fighters killed because
they were fighting a fire at the time of the explosion....and they say there is literally NOTHING left
of the plant.

[tammywammy]

31. MrsBrady make sure your windows are closed and pets inside

That smoke is headed this way, the wind is coming out of the south.

[freshwest]

54. You're right - this is going to be a bad one.

[rdking647]

27. waco news is reporting 5 firefighters and 1 policeman as fatalities :-(

[tammywammy]

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

The wind in DFW is coming out of the south at 20-25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. That smoke is headed this way.

[rdking647]

30. fox news-dallas is now reporting 60-70 fatalities and 200+ injured

[tammywammy]

32. NBC just showed a video of the explosion

A viewer sent it in, they were filming the fire and caught the explosion. Oh goodness.

edited to add: They're grounding all helicopters.

[MrsBrady]

34. this is so scary and sad

and it's still early...

[tammywammy]

35. I know.

I was in class at UTA, we didn't feel it, but friends in south Arlington said they felt it.

[rdking647]

38. nbc dallas is reporting the folowwing

200+ injured 40 critically
60-70 fatalities
an apartment complex near the plant has collapsed
the town is being evacuated due to the risk of another blast

[fujiyama]

41. Holy Shit, that's a lot of fatalities

God, what a shitty week this is.

[neverforget]

42. It sure is a shitty week

[rebecca_herman]

53. it's a shitty week if you look at history too

pretty unnerving, even though it probably is just coincidence, but lots of bad events this week in recent and not so recent history

[freshwest]

60. Yes, what is about April? Spring flowers, death... Well, I've had uneventual Aprils, so...

[Aerows]

44. This is so horrible

I don't even pray, but I'm praying for the people in this situation.

[freshwest]

58. 60-70? This is a disaster! They just keep on coming.

[Tx4obama]

47. EMS doctor on CNN said he believes 5 people have died, so far

[freshwest]

59. Dallas news says 60-70... See reply #38...

[rdking647]

48. the mayor of west is reporting the fire is under control.

the are performing search and rescue

[Tx4obama]

49. Update - West Mayor: No clear number of dead, injured in Texas explosion

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

[Paul E Ester]

52. LIve Stream

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

[Spitfire of ATJ]

62. "looks like Rachel just got it."

Here's the link to the show:

http://msnbcpod.vo.llnwd.net/l1/video/podcast/pdv_maddow_netcast_m4v-04-17-2013-201253.m4v

[Hissyspit]

67. Is this the location?

Last edited Thu Apr 18, 2013, 04:33 AM - Edit history (1)

Google Earth:

[Yukari Yakumo]

68. It is.

Holy hell. It's right beside what appears to be a large residential area.

[dipsydoodle]

69. Deadly explosion, fire rip through Texas fertilizer plant

(Reuters) - A deadly explosion and fire tore through a fertilizer plant in a small Texas town late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, levelling dozens of homes and spewing toxic fumes that forced evacuations of half the community, authorities said.

They said an undetermined number of people had been killed, and that the death toll was expected to rise as search teams combed through the rubble of the West Fertilizer Co. plant and surrounding homes.

"We do have confirmed fatalities," Texas Public Safety Department spokesman D.L. Wilson told a news conference early on Thursday, about four hours after the explosion. "The number is not current yet. It could go up by the minute. We're in there searching the area right now and making sure that it's safe."

Officials said flames that continued to smolder inside the plant posed two threats - the possibility of setting off an explosion of a second fertilizer tank and the emission of hazardous fumes into the surrounding community.

Wilson said about half the town, an area encompassing eight to 10 blocks, had been evacuated and that "we might even have to evacuate on the other side of town" if winds shift overnight as expected.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/04/18/uk-usa-explosion-texas-idUKBRE93H02620130418