A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas on Wednesday night destroyed dozens of homes, businesses and other buildings within a 4 block radius of the plant. Between 5 and 15 people are believed to be dead, and authorities warn the death toll could rise significantly.
"We have two EMS personnel that are dead for sure, and there may be three firefighters that are dead," said West emergency management system director George Smith. Smith said the toll could easily rise to 60 or 70.
Mayor Tommy Muska echoed Smith’s thoughts. "There are a lot of people that will not be here tomorrow," he said Wednesday night.
At least 160 people sustained wounds in the blast. The chief of Waco’s Hillcrest Hospital said some injuries are “quite serious.” The hospital currently has 5 of the injured in intensive care. Two are in critical condition and the other three are in serious condition.
The explosion occurred at West Fertilizer Co. around 8 p.m. Shortly before the blast, a 911 call was placed about a fire at the plant. The cause of the fire remains unclear. The explosions registered as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey.
As of Thursday morning, firefighters had the blaze at West Fertilizer Co. under control. Twenty agents with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are at the scene along with 21 Texas National Guard troops. Authorities are treating the site as a crime scene until criminal activity is ruled out.
“We are not indicating that it is a crime, but we don't know. What that means to us is that until we know that it is an industrial accident, we will work it as a crime scene. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is conducting the main investigation,” said Waco Police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton.
About half of West’s 2,800 residents have been evacuated. Search and rescue teams are currently sifting through rubble looking for survivors. "We're gonna search for everybody. We're gonna make sure everybody's accounted for. That's the most important thing right now,” Mayor Muska said.
All schools in the affected area are closed for the remainder of the week and a flight restriction has been placed over West by the Federal Aviation Administration.
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