Dramatic footage of a massive explosion in the Texas town of West has shocked and amazed viewers.
The explosion happened on Wednesday, following a fire at a fertiliser plant on the outskirts of the town near Waco — famous for the 1993 siege and fire that killed 76 people.
An estimated 15 people were killed in the fire, and subsequent explosions, with at least 160 injured. Firefighters were responding to the initial incident when the explosion rocked the town — registering as an earthquake of 2.1 on the Richter scale. Several persons are still unaccounted for.
But a worse disaster was certainly avoided: A nearby nursing home began evacuations when the fire first broke out. At least 130 people had been safely evacuated by the time the explosion happened.
It’s not known at present what caused the fire, but the storage tank that exploded with such force is believed to have contained anhydrous ammonia, a fertiliser that is injected into the soil, and stored in high-pressure tanks.
Anhydrous means without water, and when the fertiliser is injected into the soil, it quickly combines with any moisture, releasing the ammonia gas. This makes it extremely dangerous, as it will dehydrate skin or eyes, causing chemical burns.
The ammonia is three parts hydrogen and one part nitrogen, and so is extremely flammable.
But speaking to the BBC World Service, chemist Professor Andrea Sella said:
Anhydrous ammonia will burn but it is unusual for it to detonate, whereas ammonium nitrate has a track record of blowing up.
What we do know is that if you formulate it in the right way, it actually forms kind of the bedrock of the mining industry — it’s a hugely used commercial explosive.
In a press conference, local sheriff D L Wilson described the scene as “massive”, and said it was just like the scene at the 1995 Oklahoma bombing, where the same kind of fertiliser was used to detonate a bomb at the city’s federal building.
The Guardian reports that the plant was fined twice for breaching safety regulations in recent years, including in 2006 for failing to have a suitable risk assessment in place, although this has since been remedied. They also reported that the plant’s emergency plan stated there was no risk of explosion, a claim that has been dramatically proven wrong.
It’s too early to say whether there could be any criminal proceedings in what is being treated as an industrial accident — although the West Fertilizer Company site is currently classified as a crime scene while the search for people continues.
2023 Fire Safety eBook – Grab your free copy!
Download the Fire Safety in 2023 eBook, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry. Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
