04-18-2013, 10:54 PM
A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant ripped through a small Texas town, creating a powerful shock wave that flattened homes, smashed windows and could be felt as far as 80 miles away.
The explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. in the town of West exploded Wednesday night after the plant caught fire.
In a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, West Mayor Tommy Muska said there are "30 to 40 missing people," including five firefighters. Muska said one fatality had been confirmed, but he could not say if it was a firefighter.
Muska told NBC News it's possible some of the missing "could be in a hospital, but the death toll "figure will be in that area" of 30 to 40.
"[There was] just fire everywhere -- bodies on the ground, bloody bodies, people in panic," witness Sammy Chavez said. " Firemen, firetrucks, police cars filled the town."
Volunteer firemen from the West Fire Department initially responded to a fire at 7:30 p.m. at West Fertilizer Company. Six volunteer firemen responded to the fire, recognized the potential for an explosion and began evacuating nearby homes and businesses, Waco police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said.
At about 7:53 p.m., the explosion ripped through the plant.
"We need your prayers," Muska said late Wednesday night. "There's a lot of people that got hurt. There's a lot of people, I'm sure, will not be here tomorrow."
First responders worked through the night to evacuate residents and conduct door-to-door welfare checks on residents in the blast area.
Witnesses said several nearby buildings -- including a high school, a nursing home and an apartment building -- were severely damaged.
The nursing home's 133 residents were safely evacuated, officials said.
Swanton said on Thursday morning that a significant area near the facility had been flattened and that "part of that community is gone."
Gov. Rick Perry declared McLennan County a disaster area, saying it's been a "tragic, difficult 16 hours for all of us."
Through the night, firefighters struggled to contain the blaze because of toxic fumes. Officials were worried about an unexploded tank that continued to vent gas but said by Thursday morning that they were no longer worried about another explosion while the fire continued to smolder.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Explosi...08011.html
The explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. in the town of West exploded Wednesday night after the plant caught fire.
In a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, West Mayor Tommy Muska said there are "30 to 40 missing people," including five firefighters. Muska said one fatality had been confirmed, but he could not say if it was a firefighter.
Muska told NBC News it's possible some of the missing "could be in a hospital, but the death toll "figure will be in that area" of 30 to 40.
"[There was] just fire everywhere -- bodies on the ground, bloody bodies, people in panic," witness Sammy Chavez said. " Firemen, firetrucks, police cars filled the town."
Volunteer firemen from the West Fire Department initially responded to a fire at 7:30 p.m. at West Fertilizer Company. Six volunteer firemen responded to the fire, recognized the potential for an explosion and began evacuating nearby homes and businesses, Waco police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said.
At about 7:53 p.m., the explosion ripped through the plant.
"We need your prayers," Muska said late Wednesday night. "There's a lot of people that got hurt. There's a lot of people, I'm sure, will not be here tomorrow."
First responders worked through the night to evacuate residents and conduct door-to-door welfare checks on residents in the blast area.
Witnesses said several nearby buildings -- including a high school, a nursing home and an apartment building -- were severely damaged.
The nursing home's 133 residents were safely evacuated, officials said.
Swanton said on Thursday morning that a significant area near the facility had been flattened and that "part of that community is gone."
Gov. Rick Perry declared McLennan County a disaster area, saying it's been a "tragic, difficult 16 hours for all of us."
Through the night, firefighters struggled to contain the blaze because of toxic fumes. Officials were worried about an unexploded tank that continued to vent gas but said by Thursday morning that they were no longer worried about another explosion while the fire continued to smolder.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Explosi...08011.html