UPDATE 14:44 ET: Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared a disaster and asked for an emergency declaration from the federal government.
UPDATE 11:30 ET: It is now estimated that 5-15 individuals were killed and 160 injured. Those estimates could change as there are still people who are missing, including three to five firefighters who were battling a blaze at the plant when it blew.
UPDATE: 01:55 ET: Officials are asking for blood donations for the victims. You do not have to be in the area; you can go to your local blood bank. Blood banks and hospitals in Waco, Texas, are open tonight to take donations.
UPDATE 01:22ET: Officials have announced they have services set up for tending to animals: pets, livestock, horses, etc. but will likely need people to foster some of them.
UPDATE: 01:09 ET: The U.S. Geological Survey is classifying the blast as a magnitude 2.1 earthquake.
UPDATE 01:08 ET: At a press conference minutes ago it was reported that 50-70 homes have been destroyed, 150 apartment units destroyed and a nursing home had to be evacuated.
You can go here for live coverage: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/live-video/.
A massive explosion rocked the Texas town of West Wednesday at approximately 7:50 pm killing as many as 70 people and between 100-200 are reported injured.
It is being reported that there was an ongoing fire at a fertilizer plant and ammonium nitrate later exploded completely destroying 75 to 100 houses and businesses in and around the plant. Shock waves were felt as far as Arlington, Texas, appoximately 100 miles away.
“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 hotel clerk, told Dallas Morning News. “I live about a thousand feet from it and it blew my screen door off and my back windows. There’s houses leveled that were right next to it. We’ve got people injured and possibly dead.”
Many of the first responders are believed to be among those injured and killed, with the remaining residents being evacuated due to concerns regarding ammonia emissions and the possibility of additional blasts.
CNN has the following report:
Glenn Robinson, CEO of Hillcrest Hospital, said a field triage station was being set up on a football field near the plant some 18 miles north of Waco after the Wednesday night explosion.
“We have had a steady flow of patients coming in by ambulance as well as by private vehicles,” Robinson told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
More than 60 patients were received as of 10 p.m. (11 p.m. ET), Robinson said, suffering from “blast injuries, orthopedic injuries (and) a lot of lacerations. While some of the injuries are minor, others are “quite serious,” he said.
Hazardous material teams were being rushed to the scene, an emergency management official said.
There is a video online taken by a local individual you can see below followed by some local coverage.
Local coverage from WFAA.com Dallas-Fort Worth:
- Source Links – August 29, 2020
- About Pat Warde: Eulogy Tribute by Eleanor Hughes – April 1, 2019
- Editorial Note – January 15, 2019
You must be logged in to post a comment Login