Fertilizer Plant Explosion in West, Texas

[Huckleberry Pig]

Very bad situation tonight in West, Texas. A fertilizer plant exploded and the initial reports (estimates) from the local news here in Dallas is that 60-70 possible fatalities with approx 200 injured. An apartment complex near the plant received very heavy damage along with a retirement home.

Dallas is about 77 miles (1hr and 15 minutes) from West with Arlington being about 15-30 minutes closer. Apparently people in Arlington were calling authorities reporting an earthquake that turned out to be this explosion. My GF's family friends live 50 miles from the town and said they thought an earthquake had happened and that the pictures in their home fell off the wall.

If you have a minute, send your thoughts/prayers to this town, its pure chaos right now.

Huck

[Vegas39]

Very sad situation.

though frogs ranger and the conspiracy theory posse will claim it was staged

[Chi_archie]

saw some of the pics of the smoke plumes.... looked pretty bad

[Deuce]

75 confirmed dead.

[The Giant]

Jesus, what a nightmare.

[Big Bear]

what the hell is happening to this world??

i'm about to start wearing bullet proof vest

[EaglesPhan36]

I live about 15 miles from Arlington. Didn't feel a thing. This video though shows why there are scores dead. Watch the whole thing. We're talking like Oklahoma City destruction.

And before anyone starts getting out of hand ... this all started with a fire and then obviously fire + fertilizer = not good. This was not a bomb or anything.

[Vegas39]

Reports nursing home nearby collapsed

[ChalkyDog]

Flattened 70-80 individual residential homes, as well as a nursing home.

Insane.

[InTheDrink]

foul play?

[Huckleberry Pig]

I live about 15 miles from Arlington. Didn't feel a thing. This video though shows why there are scores dead. Watch the whole thing. We're talking like Oklahoma City destruction.

And before anyone starts getting out of hand ... this all started with a fire and then obviously fire + fertilizer = not good. This was not a bomb or anything.

ya i think they said the reports were from south arlington cause I live in Dallas and didn't feel anything. Not only was it fire + fertilizer, but this is one of the few plants in TX that sells ammonium nitrate (which is what was used in the OKC bombing) so that made this situation much, much worse.

[Deuce]

foul play?

No word yet, CNN hadn't jumped the gun to be hero just yet. Reported a fire or some shit only at this point. Winds 20-30mph making it nearly impossible to put out fires.

[InTheDrink]

No word yet, CNN hadn't jumped the gun to be hero just yet. Reported a fire or some shit only at this point. Winds 20-30mph making it nearly impossible to put out fires.

just glimpsing through ive noticed that their online reports are behind a lot of other sources...still not reported any deaths....looks like they'll be triple and quadruple checking things for a while

[Huckleberry Pig]

just glimpsing through ive noticed that their online reports are behind a lot of other sources...still not reported any deaths....looks like they'll be triple and quadruple checking things for a while

local news has confirmed a few deaths but nothing official has come out yet. the reports are that there are quite a few casualties though but you're right, they are going to triple and quadruple check everything before they report it. Obviously, lets hope the number of casualties is well below what is being speculated right now.

[shawn555]

local news has confirmed a few deaths but nothing official has come out yet. the reports are that there are quite a few casualties though but you're right, they are going to triple and quadruple check everything before they report it. Obviously, lets hope the number of casualties is well below what is being speculated right now.

It sounds like most of the first responders, fire fighters police that were at the scene when it was just a fire are unaccounted for.

[Huckleberry Pig]

foul play?

Nothing being reported about it. Doesn't SEEM to be fowl play, but at this point they have been so busy treating people and trying to put out ongoing fires in the town and the fact that not all the fires are out yet, they haven't had a chance to investigate. At this time, no foul play has been suspected or mentioned even. Started out earlier in the day as a fire at the plant, then it flared back up and this is the result.

Short answer: highly doubtful

[Huckleberry Pig]

It sounds like most of the first responders, fire fighters police that were at the scene when it was just a fire are unaccounted for.

ya thats what it sounds like. Also, the images of the apartment building that was destroyed are pretty grimm.

[shawn555]

ya thats what it sounds like. Also, the images of the apartment building that was destroyed are pretty grimm.

Just horrible, and the nursing home where they said 130+ people were at.

Everything within a five block radius pretty much flattened.

[InTheDrink]

that video ^up there is fukkin insane

[Deuce]

that video ^up there is fukkin insane

Guy brings his kid that close to a flaming ammonium nitrate plant. Parent of the year award.

[Huckleberry Pig]

another video with slo mo...

[NrmlCurvSurfr]

Guy brings his kid that close to a flaming ammonium nitrate plant. Parent of the year award.

most people probably do not realize the danger, or may not know what the plant was used for...I would have stopped also If I saw a building on fire, basically any other fire would have been safe...fkn crazy, I hope those folks didnt suffer any long tern hearing damage.

[InTheDrink]

Guy brings his kid that close to a flaming ammonium nitrate plant. Parent of the year award.

worst part was that the kid seemed to have more sense after the explosion that the guye

[turtlejc]

damn shit is like chernobyl

need to not worry about the fires, consider everyone dead..cant be breathing that shit in

[InTheDrink]

damn shit is like chernobyl

ok take it easy pal

not even fukkin close

[freeVICK]

Prayers go out to all affected

[freeVICK]

Any chance this was terrorism?

[tto827]

Holy crap, scary thing is that just gave a million middle easterners and a couple thousand crazy white folks some very sick, scary ideas

Praying for a miracle that some people survived

[Smoke]

Any chance this was terrorism?

Very possible. The explosion registered as a 2.5 on seismic scale. Also they've labeled the area as a crime scene. And the timing of this seems odd with what just happened in boston recently

[tto827]

^^ Standard practice I am pretty sure Smokey, sure as hell hope not, all hell's gonna break lose soon if these two incidents were found to be terrorism and a third happens soon.

[Huckleberry Pig]

Any chance this was terrorism?

I guess it could be possible but highly doubtful. Right now it just seems like an accident. They are going to treat the area like a crime scene until they can 100% confirm that it was an accident so no surprise there. They want to be thorough. You'd think if it were terrorism, they'd pick a bigger town than West, Texas (only about 2,500 people).

And in regards to the comment about this giving middle easterners and crazy white people another idea, the major cause of this explosion was ammonium nitrate (which they sold at the fertilizer plant), which was used in the OKC bombing so this is nothing new. Even without the ammonium nitrate this would have been a bad situation, but the ammonium nitrate made it much, much worse.

[EaglesPhan36]

Agree with the above 100%. Highly doubt psycho nut jobs needed to know this sort of thing as the OKC bombing already showed what ammonium nitrate can do.

[tto827]

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

2 ton anchor throw 1.62 miles, and windows blown out 40 miles away

That's some powerful stuff

[InTheDrink]

Any chance this was terrorism?

Very possible. The explosion registered as a 2.5 on seismic scale. Also they've labeled the area as a crime scene. And the timing of this seems odd with what just happened in boston recently

[tony_come]

Drinker please check your paper