A West Fertilizer Co. plant near Waco, Texas, that had over 50,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia on hand, one of the ingredients used to make the ammonium nitrate in used by Timothy McVeigh to make his truck bomb, exploded last night due to a fire. Company officials had previously told the EPA its stocks of ammonia posed no risk to the public:
The fertilizer plant that exploded Wednesday night in West, Texas, reported to the Environmental Protection Agency and local public safety officials that it presented no risk of fire or explosion, documents show. […]
But the report, reviewed Wednesday night by The Dallas Morning News, stated “no” under fire or explosive risks. The worst possible scenario, the report said, would be a 10-minute release of ammonia gas that would kill or injure no one.
The second worst possibility projected was a leak from a broken hose used to transfer the product, again causing no injuries.
The plan says the facility did not have any other dangerous chemicals on hand. It says that the plan was on file with the local fire department and that the company had implemented proper safety rules.
The explosion, believed caused by a fire has killed several people (with the death toll likely to climb), injured many more and registered as a 2.1 Richter scale earthquake in Denver. The company had previously been cited for failing to get a required proper permit and had received past complaints from residents of an ammonia leak.
Ammonia is highly deadly substance and ammonia fires cannot be fought with water since that causes a deadly vapor cloud. Video of the fire can be seen here at this CNN link.
Another video of the explosion posted on YouTube can be seen here:
This explosion and fire occurred near a school and and apartment complex. Wide scale evacuations of the community of West, Texas, where the plant is located are ongoing. Authorities also fear a risk of further explosions from the sole remaining unexploded tank of ammonia at the facility.
Might I just say that this is one reason voluntary compliance and reporting by corporations of unsafe and dangerous chemicals and/or plant safety is an absolutely insane policy. I’d also note that the EPA, thanks to the sequester, has been forced to cut funds for inspections of “toxic air emissions, water discharges, and other sources of pollution that can cause illnesses and even death.”
Update [2013-4-18 8:15:50 by Steven D]: Windows were blasted out up to 40 miles away. Nearby nursing home destroyed and at least 60 homes lost. Fortunately many people were evacuated before the fire. Of those believed to be dead, several are firefighters and possibly police officers. Latest reports indicate close to 200 people injured.
Ps. Edited to correct misinformation as to McVeigh’s bomb. Mea culpa. The West Fertilizer company where the explosion occurred produced ammonium nitrate, one of the main ingredients used in the bomb that McVeigh exploded outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.
