Hundreds Hurt, Dozens Feared Dead After Fertilizer Plant Explosion

A raging fire, followed by a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in North Texas has devastated a small community. The plant is located in West, Texas, a small town of about 2,800 people, 18 miles north of Waco. As many as 60 homes and local businesses, including a nearby nursing home, were “severely damaged,” with some residents killed or tapped inside. The explosion is also believed to have claimed the lives of several firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders who were on the scene to battle the initial blaze. The current estimate of casualties is pegged at 170 wounded and 5-15 people killed, although those numbers could rise dramatically. We’ll continue to update this post throughout the day as more information becomes available.

THE LATEST (7:45 a.m. ET): Reuters has released some stunning photos of the devastation at the plant, taken by photographer Mike Stone. (The AP has some new ones too.)

(7:11 a.m. ET): 

This interview with Dr. George Smith, the emergency management system director of the city who was on the scene for the fire and was injured in the explosion, offers a very powerful first-person account of what happened. (via KCEN, which has more witness reports.)

(7:00 a.m. ET): Some of the local sources to follow for breaking updates are KCEN-TV, WFAA-TV, NBC-5 (there’s an embedded stream of their broadcast below), and the Dallas Morning News, which has more details about the damage. The paper reports that “a four-block area around the explosion’s epicenter was ‘totally decimated,'” including an apartment building with 50 units that was “destroyed.” Nearby residents report windows and doors being blown off their homes, and debris and burning embers showering down after the explosion.

(6:35 a.m. ET): The mayor of West, Texas just updated the media on the status of the town. He said that 50-60 homes were “severely damaged” in the explosion and that all residents in the blast radius have been evacuated. The nursing home near the plant, which had 133 patients, has also been completely evacuated.

The mayor said the fire began around 7:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, and the explosion about half an hour later, as firefighters were on the scene. One witness, who was tossed to ground by the blast, told CBS News that “The explosion was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. This town is hurt really bad.”

(6:15 a.m. ET): Authorities in search and rescue are still struggling to get a handle on the number of dead and wounded, but at a short 6:00 a.m. news briefing, police placed the number of dead at somewhere between 5-15. That number is expected to rise as the sun comes up and rescuers continue to dig through destroyed homes and neighborhoods. According to CNN, some officials had earlier suspected the number of deaths could rise as high as 70. There are currently more than 160 injured at four local hospitals.

There are also still other concerns that could complicate efforts to find survivors and victims: The fire is mostly under control, but is still smoldering in some places. There’s still a slight danger that a second fertilizer storage unit at the plant could ignite, setting off another explosion. The blast was caused by, and released, toxic anhydrous ammonia fumes that may affect the air quality around the area, hamper breathing and even damage the lungs of those who inhale it. And if all that wasn’t enough, a line of strong thunderstorms and heavy winds is about to pass right through the area before the morning is over.

There is still no information on the cause of the blast—which was so powerful it registered as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake—but authorities say there is “no indication” at this time that it is anything other than an accident. Still, the plant will be treated as a crime scene and ATF agents are on the scene to help with the investigation. The blast was heard as far as 45 miles away.

Original Post (11:45 p.m., 4/17): Several homes are on fire, and residents of a nearby retirement home are trapped inside after an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, a small town near Waco. The cause of the explosion and extent of the damage is unclear, but the local Department of Public Safety says that a number of of people are severely injured. The explosion could be felt as far away as Dallas, which is nearly 100 miles away. (Scroll to the bottom of this post The top of this post has a live feed from the local NBC affiliate.)

Witnesses nearby reported seeing a massive fireball rise from the site of the plant. It’s all pretty scary for those nearby. “I said, ‘This thing is going to blow’ … and I told my mom and dad to get in the car,” one witness told the Waco Tribune. “I was standing next to my car with my fiancee, waiting for my parents to come out and [the plant] exploded. It knocked us into the car… Every house within about four blocks is blown apart.”

Once again, little is known about the incident. A hazmat team and firefighters had been dispatched to the fertilizer plant after reports of a fire. Apparently the explosion occurred after they arrived, and several firefighters were injured. “There’s nothing I can tell you other than that we’ve had an explosion,” the West, Texas Fire Department told the press. “There are injuries, casualties, it’s terrible.” The CEO of the local Hillcrest Hospital said that they anticipate about 100 injured people.

With the recent terror attack in Boston, an explosion like this is certainly unsettling. But again, we don’t yet know what caused the explosion, so don’t jump to any conclusions. It is worth noting that this week is the 20th anniversary of the end of the deadly siege in Waco. This is a developing story, and we’ll update you with new information as it flows in.

Lead image via Instagram / andybartee

Image via Instagram / andybartee

Image via Twitter / ReidGolson

Image via twitpic / Jonathan Wald

Waco Tribune reporter Kirsten Crow has been live tweeting from the scene and says that the injured are being treated on the local football field.

Image via Twitter / Kirsten Crow