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icyfroth · ‎18-04-2013

A massive explosion has ripped through a fertiliser plant in West, Texas, possibly leaving 60-70 people dead including first responders. Many more people are injured, with reports the explosion 'levelled' buildings in a five-block radius, including a school and a nursing home.

Gulf war veteran Paul L. Manigrasso told KWTX he felt the blast in Waxahachie.

“Based on my Naval experience...we knew immediately what it was, but cannot believe it occurred 40 miles away,” he said.

"It was a small fire and then water got sprayed the ammonia nitrate, and it exploded just like the Oklahoma City bomb," Jason Shelton, a clerk at the Czech Best Western Hotel in West, told The Dallas Morning News.

"I live about a 300 metres from it and it blew my screen door off and my back windows. There's houses levelled that were right next to it.”

Bill Bohannan, who was visiting his parents in West, near the plant, witnessed the explosion.

"It knocked us into the car ... Every house within about four blocks is blown apart," he told the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Crystal Anthony told the paper that a nearby nursing home, apartment complex and West Middle School had also caught fire. Anthony said she and her daughter were almost knocked down several blocks from the explosion.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/16787850/massive-explosion-texas-fertiliser-plant/

I wonder if it's in anyway connected to the Boston bomb blast?

izabsmiling · ‎18-04-2013

It's horrible

fertiliser contains explosive ingredients ie; Ammonium Nitrate don't they ?

wareubin · ‎18-04-2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrpKx3aIjA

Wait till about the 30 second mark.

debra9275 · ‎18-04-2013

I'm hearing from ABC news, more than 100 dead now and they're going to sweep through houses overnight looking for more casualties 😞

debra9275 · ‎18-04-2013

that was a HUGE blast in that clip warubin

carly2579 · ‎18-04-2013

i hope that this is not related to boston

polksaladallie · ‎18-04-2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrpKx3aIjA

Wait till about the 30 second mark.

An irresponsible parent.

azureline** · ‎18-04-2013

How can it be related? it was fertiliser and had water thrown on it....

polksaladallie · ‎18-04-2013

Since the report of 2 deaths, Texas police dept are refusing to state the number now. So the big numbers some news areas are stating are guesses only.

The numbers might very well go that high, but as of now, that is not the case.

izabsmiling · ‎18-04-2013

i hope that this is not related to boston

I would imagine that the cause is more likely the nature of the substances stored and used in fertiliser factories .Like the explosion mentioned below in 1994 .

Fertilizer (Ammonium Nitrate) Plant Explosion - Iowa

An ammonium nitrate plant exploded in December 1994 outside of Sioux City, Iowa. There were four deaths and many injuries. The explosion originated in the neutralizer where nitric acid and ammonia gas were mixed to form ammonium nitrate. A main issue in this case was whether or not a titanium sparger for the nitric acid catalyzed the explosion inside the sparger. Research showed that this was not the case and that the general conditions inside the neutralizer were ripe for explosion.

Conditions contributing to the explosion were impurities known to sensitize ammonium nitrate (such as chlorides and organics), the use of high temperature steam (200 psig), and the lack of standard operating procedures. The plant automated control system records showed that a macroscopic event began at least 2 minutes prior to the explosion which was inconsistent with a sudden detonation originating inside the sparger. Evidence also showed that the explosion originated below the sparger as opposed to inside it.

Dr. Fox is a fire expert, explosion expert and chemical expert with extensive experience in OSHA, EPA, and DOT chemical regulations and chemical safety.

http://www.chemaxx.com/explosion3a.htm