Photo by Brian Kitchen via CNN I-Report
West Explosion
Passer-by Brian Kitchen, on his way home to Austin from Dallas, had stopped at a convenience store in West, TX, when a fire at a local fertilizer plant caused a massive explosion. Kitchen rushed outside and took this photo of the aftermath
Compiled from Wire Reports
A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant rocked the small town of West, Texas, approximately 15 minutes north of Waco, causing casualties upwards of 160 people, including several first responders whose whereabouts remain unaccounted for.
Official reports of those killed by the explosion were estimated at between 5 and 15 people early Thursday (April 18). Local volunteer firefighters and law enforcement responded to a fire alarm at the plant around 7 p.m. The explosion occurred about half an hour later.
A town of some 3,000 people with a strong Czech heritage, West suffered wide-scale damage from the blast, with the concussion felt as far away as Waxahachie, a Fort Worth suburb some 45 miles to the north. The explosion caused a 2.1 magnitude earthquake felt throughout much of Central Texas.
The Central Texas Annual Conference reported: "While we will be praying for every soul in the area, there are several Central Texas Conference churches within 15-20 miles of today’s blast. As such, we realize that there will be much concern for our United Methodist family in the area. The Central Texas Conference Service Center will post any vital information regarding our churches and church members as they become available. If you have family and friends in West, you can call 254-202-1100 for information on those directly affected. Please do not drive to West. I-35 is jammed and needs to be kept as clear as possible for emergency crews and the area is still not deemed as safe."
A spokesman for the Waco Police Department said that law enforcement and emergency agencies are treating the plant site as a crime scene until it can be determined whether the fire that preceded the explosion was intentionally set or was an industrial accident. The fertilizer plant produced ammonia anhydrate, the same type of fertilizer used by Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
News websites as far away as Great Britain also posted a video made by a man who captured the moment of the explosion. One British site included horrifying audio of the man's child screaming to get out of the area after the blast, but most local sites edited out the shocking narrative.
Emergency crews were still going house to house around West searching for casualties and survivors in the rubble. The blast leveled buildings for several blocks in the plant's vicinity and shook structures and broke windows miles away.
Rescue efforts were hampered early Thursday morning when a cold front swept through the region bringing severe thunderstorms. Meanwhile, churches, businesses and public facilities opened their doors to displaced survivors needing shelter and comfort.
The West explosion occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, two days after two bombs were set off at the Boston Marathon. No connection has been found between the two events.
Click here to see a list of Emergency Resources for West and the surrounding area.