Explosion Outside Waco, Texas; Injuries Reported

SajeevJino

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Explosion Outside Waco, Texas; Injuries Reported


Local media in Waco, Texas are reporting an explosion at a fertilizer plant with injuries.








Several buildings are reported destroyed. KWTX reports a nursing home was damaged after the explosion in the city of West which is just north of Waco.

Local scanner traffic reports multiple structures on fire with many people trapped. A local school football field is being setup as a staging area at 900 North Reagan. Emergency units are also being asked to gather and Haven and Reagan.

According to scanner traffic, authorities are trying to block drivers from going into town.

It is not clear yet how many people are injured. Evacuations are underway.

Residents 65 miles away reported hearing the blast.

Explosion Outside Waco, Texas; Injuries Reported | FOX17online.com
 

pmaitra

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What the hell is going on? Now this is getting scary.

Those living in the US, avoid hanging out in crowded places. Do what you must, but stay at home otherwise. Plan your trip to WalMart, finish your shopping, and get out quickly. Something sinister is brewing.

Edit: I just saw it was a fertilizer plant. Perhaps I am over-reacting. Didn't notice hat at first glance.
 

pmaitra

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A Fertilizer Plant Just Exploded Near Waco, Texas

Several homes are on fire, and residents of a nearby retirement home are trapped inside after an explosion at a fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas, a small town near Waco. The cause of the explosion and extent of the damage is unclear, but the local Department of Public Safety says that several people are severely injured. The explosion could be felt as far away as Dallas, which is nearly 100 miles away. Witnesses nearby reported seeing a massive fireball rise from the site of the plant. It's all pretty scary for those nearby. "It shook our windows and doors," said one nearby resident. "We immediately ran outside looking for the worst."

With the recent terror attack in Boston, an explosion like this is certainly unsettling. But again, we don't yet know what caused the explosion, so don't jump to any conclusions. It is worth noting that this week is the 30th anniversary of the end of the deadly siege in Waco. This is a developing story, and we'll update you with new information as it flows in.







Source: A Fertilizer Plant Just Exploded Near Waco, Texas - Adam Clark Estes - The Atlantic Wire
 

pmaitra

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Waco siege

The Waco siege (sometimes called the "Waco massacre"[4]) began on Sunday, February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19.[5] The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), accompanied by several members of the media, attempted to execute a search warrant at Mount Carmel Center ranch, a property of the religious group the Branch Davidians located in the community of Elk, Texas,[6][7] nine miles (14 kilometers) east-northeast of Waco. On February 28, shortly after the attempt to serve the warrant, an intense gun battle erupted, lasting nearly two hours. In this armed exchange, four agents and six Branch Davidians were killed. Upon the ATF's failure to execute the search warrant, a siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The siege ended 50 days later when a fire destroyed the compound after a second assault was launched. During the fire that engulfed Mount Carmel Center, seventy-six men, women and children,[8][9] including the sect leader, David Koresh, lost their lives.
Full article: Waco siege - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Might be related, might not be related.
 

SajeevJino

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Numerous Injuries Reported In West Fertilizer Plant Explosion


Emergency crews from throughout Central Texas responded Wednesday night after a major explosion at a burning fertilizer plant in West north of Waco.

West firefighters were dispatched to the plant earlier in the evening after an earlier fire rekindled.

The explosion was reported at around 7:50 p.m. in a frantic radio call from the scene of the fire at West Fertilizer at 1471 Jerry Mashek Dr. just off Interstate 35.

Numerous injuries were reported and multiple ambulances were requested.

Several buildings were reported destroyed and a nearby nursing home was damaged.

Six helicopters were en route to West and were landing at the baseball field on Tokio Road, south of town, said Gayle Scarbrough, Department of Public Safety Communications in Waco.

Another report indicated as many as a dozen helicopters were responding.

A number of buildings were reported to be burning, some in residential areas and evacuations were underway.

Interstate 35 remained open, but a number of emergency vehicles were on the highway headed to West and from West to hospitals.

Fire crews from virtually every community in the area headed to the scene.

Waco firefighters and the department's hazmat team were among the first to respond.

The Killeen Fire Department was sending its hazmat team and 10 firefighters to assist.

A woman who was passing through West on Interstate 35 at the time of the explosion said she and her boyfriend saw a fireball 100-feet wide shoot into the air.

UPDATE: Numerous Injuries Reported In West Fertilizer Plant Explosion
 

Razor

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A Fertilizer Plant Just Exploded Near Waco, Texas

.... It is worth noting that this week is the 30th anniversary of the end of the deadly siege in Waco......



Source: A Fertilizer Plant Just Exploded Near Waco, Texas - Adam Clark Estes - The Atlantic Wire
The Waco Siege, that's the first thing that came to my mind when I saw "Waco, Texas".

Man, that Mushroom(?) cloud looks huge.

Has the cause been determined? Was it a malfunction at the plant or something else :hmm:
 

pmaitra

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The Waco Siege, that's the first thing that came to my mind when I saw "Waco, Texas".

Man, that Mushroom(?) cloud looks huge.

Has the cause been determined? Was it a malfunction at the plant or something else :hmm:
Remember, it is a fertilizer plant. Fertilizer can be easily converted into deadly explosive.

Ammonium Nitrate or NH[SUB]4[/SUB]NO[SUB]3[/SUB], is a friend, but if handled carelessly, can be a deadly killer.

See more: Ammonium nitrate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

Razor

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Remember, it is a fertilizer plant. Fertilizer can be easily converted into deadly explosive.

Ammonium Nitrate or NH[SUB]4[/SUB]NO[SUB]3[/SUB], is a friend, but if handled carelessly, can be a deadly killer.

See more: Ammonium nitrate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yeah, there's a strong chance that this is a lapse in safety regulations, but I was just wondering, that's all.

But, what did you mean by: "Might be related, but not be related".
 

Yusuf

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70 reported dead and hundreds injured. RIP
 

Yusuf

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I don't think its a bomb blast. Fertilizers are the same chemicals as those that go into bomb making. Ammonium nitrate has been used by terrorists regularly. Easy to obtain.
 

Iamanidiot

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Explosions of this scale simply do not happen at fertilizer plants
 

Ray

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What exactly caused the explosion.

Any leads?
 

Razor

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Just found this video:




There seems to be a fire and the explosion seems to happen at 0:30.

It looks like a really powerful explosion.

Hope people have been evacuated, 'cause the chemical fumes aren't gonna be good.
 
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average american

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I expect its just an accident.

Asked which events pose the biggest threat to the safety of average Americans, 56 percent of respondents said random acts of violence, such as mass shootings, committed by Americans; 32 percent said foreign terrorism committed by non-Americans; and 13 percent said politically or religiously motivated domestic terrorism committed by Americans.
 

datguy79

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Why on Earth does the US need explosive-grade ammonium nitrate?

The more likely scenario is probably someone being careless and exposing an entire stockpile to oxidation.
 

pmaitra

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Just found this video:




There seems to be a fire and the explosion seems to happen at 0:30.

It looks like a really powerful explosion.

Hope people have been evacuated, 'cause the chemical fumes aren't gonna be good.
Interesting.

So a fire started, which probably set off Ammonium Nitrate dumps, already heated by the flames.
 
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