Massive explosion at fertilizer plant in West, Texas

[Great Rumbler]

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.

Numerous buildings were reported to be on fire, including West Middle School and a nearby nursing home. A dispatcher calling for multiple ambulances said, “We do have a lot of injured here.”

"There's nothing I can tell you other than that we've had an explosion," the West, Texas Fire Department told the press. "There are injuries, casualties, it's terrible." The CEO of the local Hillcrest Hospital said that they anticipate about 100 injured people.

“It was a small fire and then water got sprayed the ammonia nitrate, and it exploded just like the Oklahoma City bomb,” said Jason Shelton, a clerk at the Czech Best Western Hotel in West. “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.”

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/04/fertilizer-plant-just-exploded-waco-texas/64337/

Live shot:

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Explosion-Rocks-Fertilizer-Plant-During-Fire-203508011.html

[Human Snorenado]

Waco, huh.  Nope, not the 20th anniversary of the Branch Davidian fiasco or anything this week.  Nope.

[Phoenix Dark]

the cloud looks a bit like Oscar The Grouch. Tomorrow is NPD day. Coincidence?

[Great Rumbler]

Reports suggest that a person with dark skin was spotted within five thousand feet of the plant just days before the explosion. Coincidence?

[Great Rumbler]

Shot of the explosion:

http://www.kwkt.com/news/caught-camera-fertilizer-plant-explosion-near-waco

[Great Rumbler]

Apartment building adjacent to the fertilizer plant:

[Madrun Badrun]

Reports suggest that a person with dark skin was spotted within five thousand feet of the plant just days before the explosion. Coincidence?

Arabs are being escorted off of planes as we speak.

[Great Rumbler]

[Shadow Mod]

That dude is so dumb.

[Atramental]

[Great Rumbler]

This week, man, and it's barely even Thursday. 

[Trurl]

This is probably an accident, right?

[Momo]

This is probably an accident, right?

Who knows, I bet it would be difficult to do forensics anyway so \o/

[chronovore]

Fucking hell, if my kids were in the car, I would not be stopping to watch and film a fire. Someone needs to staple that guy's dick shut.

[Don Flamenco]

fuck what next

[Cormacaroni]

just thinking about the lies that will be perpetrated by the firm and its insurers to avoid proper compensation to the victims is preemptively infuriating me, assuming this was an accident

[Bebpo]

The scale of that explosion is absolutely fucking bonkers.  I've never seen anything like it.


RIP everyone caught in that blast    I'm guessing a lot of the death toll will be the firefighters right up front trying to put out the smaller fire.

[Brehvolution]

This week, man, and it's barely even Thursday. 

My wife's grandma died last Tuesday..... on my son's 7th birthday. Found out my wife's cousin can't come to the funeral cause she's in California with her girlfriend. She is getting divorced soon and they have 3 kids. The funeral was Monday. Same day as the bombing. So it's been more than a week for me. 

[hampster]

I watched that video without sound. The explosion happened 30 seconds in - even if the guy was driving away he would have gotten rocked. Amazing how big it was

[Great Rumbler]

Fertilizer [ammonium nitrate] explosions are crazy, that was the same basic kind of explosion that took out half an office building in OKC 18 years ago.

[Joe Molotov]

just thinking about the lies that will be perpetrated by the firm and its insurers to avoid proper compensation to the victims is preemptively infuriating me, assuming this was an accident

I was watching CBS this morning and they said the plant had just submitted a thing to the EPA saying that the plant was 100% safe, there was no chance of fire or explosion, and that in a worse-case scenario there would be a 10 minute venting of gas that would cause no problems.

[Don Flamenco]

This week really is turning into a season of 24 way too fast

chicago this morning





end times are nigh

[Great Rumbler]

How damned many times do we have to see these images and fail to connect cause and effect? Americans continue to elect and tolerate politicians that tell them everything is fine and we don't need to invest in infrastructure and safety and there is too much regulation. There is no reason we can't have businesses that are both profitable and safe. But we have to be willing to spend the money to fund the agencies that provide the oversight. That's not government meddling; that's common sense. Elected leadership does not hesitate to spend your tax dollars on fear driven industries like the TSA or defense contractors, but a few inspectors or laws to keep a nursing home away from an ammonium nitrate fertilizer plant is considered too much government?

And now we have to endure those same politicians who are quick with the budget cut running to the site of the tragedy to claim empathy and understanding. How dare they? Why do we never demand accountability until people are dead? The owner of the plant was quoted on television as saying, "This kind of thing just isn't supposed to happen here." It isn't supposed to happen anywhere.

We just let it.

[Don Flamenco]

:ronpaul

[Great Rumbler]

:ronpaul

[chronovore]

chicago this morning


(Image removed from quote.)


end times are nigh

I didn't even know you could use a Volkswagen camper van as a canoe from the moon roof. That guy is pretty creative.

[Dickie Dee]

Jesus, 14 dead 60 missing

[Brehvolution]

It's surprising since the plant was deemed safe because it hadn't had an accident in 6 years. 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Because 6 years insures that it would be safe forever.

[close]

[Phoenix Dark]

freedom from zoning regulation

But yea, thank fucking god this didn't happen on a school day

[Himu]

Texas

[demi]

I watched that video above and all the related vids are coinspiracy vids. Lmao

[Great Rumbler]

But yea, thank fucking god this didn't happen on a school day

No kidding, the pictures of the middle school show that it's pretty much gutted from the blast and subsequent fire.

[Steve Contra]

(Image removed from quote.)

freedom from zoning regulation

But yea, thank fucking god this didn't happen on a school day

[Brehvolution]

(Image removed from quote.)

freedom from zoning regulation

But yea, thank fucking god this didn't happen on a school day

You have to be shitting me. "Let's build our community around this big bomb!"

And let's not forget that these Texas representatives that are asking for federal aid now are the same ones who voted against aid for Sandy.

[Eric P]

i can't even imagine the smell

[Great Rumbler]

You have to be shitting me. "Let's build our community around this big bomb!"

It's a depressingly common phenomenon, unfortunately.

[Barry Egan]

i can't even imagine the smell

ever been to New Jersey?

[Brehvolution]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/20/us-usa-explosion-regulation-idUSBRE93J09N20130420

 

[Himu]

i can't even imagine the smell

It isn't Waco but El Paso is the worst smelling place I've been to. Passed by literally 10 or so miles of cows taking cow poopies.

[Great Rumbler]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/20/us-usa-explosion-regulation-idUSBRE93J09N20130420

 

Regulations? What regulations?

[Eric P]

i can't even imagine the smell

It isn't Waco but El Paso is the worst smelling place I've been to. Passed by literally 10 or so miles of cows taking cow poopies.

my mom's parents lived in Corpus Christi.  I could always remember we were close because of the stench of the oil refineries.

[Himu]

Of course Tejas has no zoning regulation. What do you think this is? Sim City? No sidewalks in my state!

[Don Flamenco]

de-regulation is nice and all until.......................

*shades*

..........shit hits the fan

YEAHHHHHHHHHHH

:ronpaul

[Rufus]

my mom's parents lived in Corpus Christi.  I could always remember we were close because of the stench of the oil refineries.

Corpus Christi? What was that about taking care of the earth?