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| Ruins Searched for Firefighters After Blast at Factory Kills 5 | |
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| WEST, Tex. — Rescue workers searched the rubble of a fertilizer plant on Thursday, looking for missing firefighters and survivors of a huge explosion that tore through this small central Texas town on Wednesday night, killing as many as 15 people and injuring more than 160 others, laying waste to buildings and potentially sending toxic fumes into the air, the authorities said. | WEST, Tex. — Rescue workers searched the rubble of a fertilizer plant on Thursday, looking for missing firefighters and survivors of a huge explosion that tore through this small central Texas town on Wednesday night, killing as many as 15 people and injuring more than 160 others, laying waste to buildings and potentially sending toxic fumes into the air, the authorities said. |
| Homes and businesses were leveled in the normally quiet town of West, just north of Waco, and there was widespread destruction in the downtown area, Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton of the Waco Police Department said Thursday morning. | Homes and businesses were leveled in the normally quiet town of West, just north of Waco, and there was widespread destruction in the downtown area, Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton of the Waco Police Department said Thursday morning. |
| “At some point this will turn into a recovery operation, but at this point, we are still in search and rescue,” he said. In a second morning news conference, Sergeant Swanton said that the fires were still smoldering at the plant, but “there is nothing out of control over there at this point.” | “At some point this will turn into a recovery operation, but at this point, we are still in search and rescue,” he said. In a second morning news conference, Sergeant Swanton said that the fires were still smoldering at the plant, but “there is nothing out of control over there at this point.” |
| Five to 15 people were killed and more than 160 people were being treated at area hospitals, Sergeant Swanton said, while also emphasizing that those early estimates could change. There are three to five firefighters missing, he said, mostly first responders from a volunteer fire department who rushed to the scene before the blast. “They were actively fighting the fire at the time the explosion occurred,” he said. | Five to 15 people were killed and more than 160 people were being treated at area hospitals, Sergeant Swanton said, while also emphasizing that those early estimates could change. There are three to five firefighters missing, he said, mostly first responders from a volunteer fire department who rushed to the scene before the blast. “They were actively fighting the fire at the time the explosion occurred,” he said. |
| As many as 75 homes have been damaged, along with several businesses and a 50-unit apartment complex. “Part of that community is gone,” Sergeant Swanton said. | As many as 75 homes have been damaged, along with several businesses and a 50-unit apartment complex. “Part of that community is gone,” Sergeant Swanton said. |
| There is no evidence indicating criminal activity, he said, “but we’re not ruling that out.” | There is no evidence indicating criminal activity, he said, “but we’re not ruling that out.” |
| The White House issued a statement from President Obama that said, “Today our prayers go out to the people of West, Texas,” and he pledged that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies would join state and local efforts “to make sure there are no unmet needs as search and rescue and response operations continue.” | The White House issued a statement from President Obama that said, “Today our prayers go out to the people of West, Texas,” and he pledged that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies would join state and local efforts “to make sure there are no unmet needs as search and rescue and response operations continue.” |
| The disaster began with a smaller fire at the plant, West Fertilizer, just off Interstate 35, about 20 miles north of Waco. Locall volunteer firefighters responded, said Representative Bill Flores, Republican of Texas. “The fire spread and hit some of these tanks that contain chemicals to treat the fertilizer,” Mr. Flores said, “and there was an explosion which caused wide damage.” | The disaster began with a smaller fire at the plant, West Fertilizer, just off Interstate 35, about 20 miles north of Waco. Locall volunteer firefighters responded, said Representative Bill Flores, Republican of Texas. “The fire spread and hit some of these tanks that contain chemicals to treat the fertilizer,” Mr. Flores said, “and there was an explosion which caused wide damage.” |
| Videos posted online showed a large fire, visible from hundreds of yards away, followed by a fireball that blasted high into the sky and set fires burning into the night. | Videos posted online showed a large fire, visible from hundreds of yards away, followed by a fireball that blasted high into the sky and set fires burning into the night. |
| “Right now we have a tremendous amount of injuries,” D. L. Wilson, a state trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said early Thursday morning. | “Right now we have a tremendous amount of injuries,” D. L. Wilson, a state trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said early Thursday morning. |
| He compared the destruction to Iraq war scenes and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, an act of terrorism using explosives made from fertilizer. “I can tell you, I was there, I walked through the blast area, I searched some houses earlier tonight. It was massive, just like Iraq, just like the Murrah building in Oklahoma City.” | He compared the destruction to Iraq war scenes and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, an act of terrorism using explosives made from fertilizer. “I can tell you, I was there, I walked through the blast area, I searched some houses earlier tonight. It was massive, just like Iraq, just like the Murrah building in Oklahoma City.” |
| The mayor of West, Tommy Muska, said in brief televised remarks that 50 to 60 houses in a five-block area were heavily damaged, and that search-and-rescue teams worked through the night. A nursing home with 133 residents was among the places hit. The fate of those within it was, like so much on the scene, not immediately clear. | The mayor of West, Tommy Muska, said in brief televised remarks that 50 to 60 houses in a five-block area were heavily damaged, and that search-and-rescue teams worked through the night. A nursing home with 133 residents was among the places hit. The fate of those within it was, like so much on the scene, not immediately clear. |
| “We’re a little bit in the fog of war right now,” Mr. Flores said. | “We’re a little bit in the fog of war right now,” Mr. Flores said. |
| Mr. Wilson and other local officials told reporters that half the town had been evacuated because of fears of toxic fumes being spread by heavy winds. First responders continued to search “house by house,” he said. | Mr. Wilson and other local officials told reporters that half the town had been evacuated because of fears of toxic fumes being spread by heavy winds. First responders continued to search “house by house,” he said. |
| An enormous triage area had been set up, and television footage showed dozens, perhaps more than 100, emergency vehicles attending to huddled casualties under blankets and on stretchers. | An enormous triage area had been set up, and television footage showed dozens, perhaps more than 100, emergency vehicles attending to huddled casualties under blankets and on stretchers. |
| At the edge of that triage area near a baseball field shortly before midnight, dozens of emergency and law enforcement personnel — state troopers, firefighters, constables, sheriff’s deputies — waited for the injured to be brought in. In the dark of night miles from the plant, no one was certain what had happened, or how many were hurt. | At the edge of that triage area near a baseball field shortly before midnight, dozens of emergency and law enforcement personnel — state troopers, firefighters, constables, sheriff’s deputies — waited for the injured to be brought in. In the dark of night miles from the plant, no one was certain what had happened, or how many were hurt. |
| A nurse at the McLennan County jail stood by his car, dressed in scrubs, stethoscope around his neck. “Right now they’re in the process of doing search and rescue,” said the correctional nurse, Glen Stephens. “I saw something on the news, and got a couple of phone calls. The director of nursing at our facility sent out a text to all the nurses, and there’s quite a few of us here.” | A nurse at the McLennan County jail stood by his car, dressed in scrubs, stethoscope around his neck. “Right now they’re in the process of doing search and rescue,” said the correctional nurse, Glen Stephens. “I saw something on the news, and got a couple of phone calls. The director of nursing at our facility sent out a text to all the nurses, and there’s quite a few of us here.” |
| A few steps away, a man in a pickup truck pulled up to a state trooper directing traffic. “Volunteers?” he asked the state trooper, and he was directed down the road. | A few steps away, a man in a pickup truck pulled up to a state trooper directing traffic. “Volunteers?” he asked the state trooper, and he was directed down the road. |
| A few miles to the north of West, the school gymnasium in the town of Abbott was converted into an emergency shelter for evacuees who lived near the plant. But at 3 a.m. Thursday, the nearly 100 cots were empty, and dozens of volunteers, including faculty members and teenage students, waited for a rush of people that never came. Bottles of water sat in bundled packages outside the school, untouched. | A few miles to the north of West, the school gymnasium in the town of Abbott was converted into an emergency shelter for evacuees who lived near the plant. But at 3 a.m. Thursday, the nearly 100 cots were empty, and dozens of volunteers, including faculty members and teenage students, waited for a rush of people that never came. Bottles of water sat in bundled packages outside the school, untouched. |
| Rodney Watson, the chief deputy for the Hill County sheriff’s office, said he believed those who were evacuated were staying with friends or relatives. “Right now, there’s not a whole lot that can be done,” he said. “They got the fire contained, and there’s no immediate danger with the chemicals or anything. There’s no hazmat situation.” | Rodney Watson, the chief deputy for the Hill County sheriff’s office, said he believed those who were evacuated were staying with friends or relatives. “Right now, there’s not a whole lot that can be done,” he said. “They got the fire contained, and there’s no immediate danger with the chemicals or anything. There’s no hazmat situation.” |
| A spokesman for the F.B.I. in San Antonio said Thursday morning that there had been no indication of criminal activity in the plant explosion. The spokesman, Special Agent Erik Vasys, said the agency had personnel on the scene to help local officials if needed. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is on the scene, and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the federal entity that investigates chemical disasters, said that it had sent its own investigative team, which “is scheduled to arrive in Texas Thursday afternoon.” | A spokesman for the F.B.I. in San Antonio said Thursday morning that there had been no indication of criminal activity in the plant explosion. The spokesman, Special Agent Erik Vasys, said the agency had personnel on the scene to help local officials if needed. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is on the scene, and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the federal entity that investigates chemical disasters, said that it had sent its own investigative team, which “is scheduled to arrive in Texas Thursday afternoon.” |
| The Red Cross in the Dallas and Fort Worth region said in a statement posted online that it had crews on the way to help. Red Cross workers were looking for a safe place to house residents who had been displaced. Sergeant Swanton said that the town would help its own. “I can promise you that the city of West will not let a person stand out in the rain,” he said. “They will bring you into their home, and you will be comfortable.” | The Red Cross in the Dallas and Fort Worth region said in a statement posted online that it had crews on the way to help. Red Cross workers were looking for a safe place to house residents who had been displaced. Sergeant Swanton said that the town would help its own. “I can promise you that the city of West will not let a person stand out in the rain,” he said. “They will bring you into their home, and you will be comfortable.” |
| West is a small country town of just 2,700 people. Its name refers not to its location on the state map, in northern central Texas, but to its first postmaster, T. M. West. | West is a small country town of just 2,700 people. Its name refers not to its location on the state map, in northern central Texas, but to its first postmaster, T. M. West. |
| About 300 to 400 first responders and officials from local, state and federal agencies — sheriff’s deputies, volunteer firefighters, A.T.F. agents, police officers, medics, constables — have converged on West, as have dozens of reporters from around the country and the world. The grass behind the West Church of Christ became a parking lot for the triage area overnight; the auction barn off Interstate 35 — with a sign reading “Cattle Sale Thursday” — was turned into a staging site for news conferences. Those speaking at the conferences had to raise their voices to be heard above the mooing cows in the nearby livestock pens. | About 300 to 400 first responders and officials from local, state and federal agencies — sheriff’s deputies, volunteer firefighters, A.T.F. agents, police officers, medics, constables — have converged on West, as have dozens of reporters from around the country and the world. The grass behind the West Church of Christ became a parking lot for the triage area overnight; the auction barn off Interstate 35 — with a sign reading “Cattle Sale Thursday” — was turned into a staging site for news conferences. Those speaking at the conferences had to raise their voices to be heard above the mooing cows in the nearby livestock pens. |
| The skies over West were a dark gray even at 9 a.m., and a steady and at times severe rain fell on the region. In the hours before dawn, the air was choked with smoke, and it had a bitter, gunpowder-like scent and aftertaste, the way the air gets in the moments after a Fourth of July fireworks show has ended. The morning rains seemed to wash away much of the stench by midmorning. | The skies over West were a dark gray even at 9 a.m., and a steady and at times severe rain fell on the region. In the hours before dawn, the air was choked with smoke, and it had a bitter, gunpowder-like scent and aftertaste, the way the air gets in the moments after a Fourth of July fireworks show has ended. The morning rains seemed to wash away much of the stench by midmorning. |
| In a statement late Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry said: “We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident. We have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West and the first responders on the scene.” | In a statement late Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry said: “We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident. We have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West and the first responders on the scene.” |
Manny Fernandez reported from West, Tex., and John Schwartz from New York. Emma G. Fitzsimmons, Christine Hauser and Ravi Somaiya contributed reporting from New York. | Manny Fernandez reported from West, Tex., and John Schwartz from New York. Emma G. Fitzsimmons, Christine Hauser and Ravi Somaiya contributed reporting from New York. |