This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/20/us/40-people-missing-after-texas-explosion.html
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Death Toll Rises to 12 After Texas Blast | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| WEST, Tex. — As the authorities continued to sift through the debris left by the devastating explosion at a fertilizer plant here, scores of people were still missing, and the number of dead rose to 12, most of them firefighters and other emergency responders who were the first to arrive at the scene. | |
| “We’re still in search-and-rescue mode,” Sgt. Jason Reyes of the Texas Department of Public Safety said at a news conference on Friday morning. | |
| Mr. Reyes did not discuss the number of missing, but later in the day, Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said that 60 people were missing. | |
| “We still don’t know the extent of their loss,” Mr. Cornyn said. | |
| About 200 people were injured by the blast, which tore apart an entire section of West, a small town of roughly 2,800 residents 80 miles south of Dallas. By daybreak on Friday, rescue personnel had combed through 150 buildings, though there were 25 more to go. Fifty homes were completely destroyed, as well as three fire trucks and one ambulance, Sergeant Reyes said. | About 200 people were injured by the blast, which tore apart an entire section of West, a small town of roughly 2,800 residents 80 miles south of Dallas. By daybreak on Friday, rescue personnel had combed through 150 buildings, though there were 25 more to go. Fifty homes were completely destroyed, as well as three fire trucks and one ambulance, Sergeant Reyes said. |
| “There are homes that are no longer homes,” said Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton, a spokesman for the Waco Police Department, on Wednesday. | “There are homes that are no longer homes,” said Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton, a spokesman for the Waco Police Department, on Wednesday. |
| No one among the hundreds of local, state and federal officials and first responders who converged on this town north of Waco was certain about the cause of the disaster. They only knew its effect. The authorities prohibited anyone not involved in the search-and-rescue effort from entering the area around the plant and even put a no-fly zone restriction on the airspace overhead. | No one among the hundreds of local, state and federal officials and first responders who converged on this town north of Waco was certain about the cause of the disaster. They only knew its effect. The authorities prohibited anyone not involved in the search-and-rescue effort from entering the area around the plant and even put a no-fly zone restriction on the airspace overhead. |
| “The experts don’t know what happened, and I am going to leave it to the experts,” said Jerry Sinkale, the foreman at the plant, who would not comment on the explosion or its causes. | “The experts don’t know what happened, and I am going to leave it to the experts,” said Jerry Sinkale, the foreman at the plant, who would not comment on the explosion or its causes. |
| But what became clear was that the explosion had destroyed a significant piece of a small town in the center of Texas, including a 50-unit apartment complex. | But what became clear was that the explosion had destroyed a significant piece of a small town in the center of Texas, including a 50-unit apartment complex. |
| A spokesman for the F.B.I. in San Antonio said Thursday that there had been no indication of criminal activity in the West plant explosion. | A spokesman for the F.B.I. in San Antonio said Thursday that there had been no indication of criminal activity in the West plant explosion. |
| Members of the West Volunteer Fire Department and those of other towns had responded to a fire that broke out at the plant about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and were fighting the blaze when the blast occurred about 7:50 p.m. | Members of the West Volunteer Fire Department and those of other towns had responded to a fire that broke out at the plant about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and were fighting the blaze when the blast occurred about 7:50 p.m. |
| “The explosion came very quickly,” Sergeant Swanton said. “They knew the threat. They knew the seriousness of the situation they were in. They immediately started moving to an evacuation process, absolutely doing the right thing to try and get people out of harm’s way.” | “The explosion came very quickly,” Sergeant Swanton said. “They knew the threat. They knew the seriousness of the situation they were in. They immediately started moving to an evacuation process, absolutely doing the right thing to try and get people out of harm’s way.” |
| Perry Calvin, 37, a married father of two with a third on the way, was one of the volunteer firefighters killed. He had been attending an emergency medical technician class in West on Wednesday evening when a firefighter in the class got a page about the fire at the fertilizer company, said his father, Phil Calvin. | Perry Calvin, 37, a married father of two with a third on the way, was one of the volunteer firefighters killed. He had been attending an emergency medical technician class in West on Wednesday evening when a firefighter in the class got a page about the fire at the fertilizer company, said his father, Phil Calvin. |
| Perry Calvin and another man drove to the area together and got there before the explosion. The other man was found dead Wednesday night. | Perry Calvin and another man drove to the area together and got there before the explosion. The other man was found dead Wednesday night. |
| Perry Calvin was not even a firefighter with the West department. He volunteered with another department in a nearby town, but had rushed to help because he happened to be close. | Perry Calvin was not even a firefighter with the West department. He volunteered with another department in a nearby town, but had rushed to help because he happened to be close. |
| “He would do what he could to put the fire out or help find people,” said Mr. Calvin, the fire chief of Navarro Mills, Tex. | “He would do what he could to put the fire out or help find people,” said Mr. Calvin, the fire chief of Navarro Mills, Tex. |
| Law enforcement officials said they had not determined the cause of either the fire or the explosion. The blast occurred two days before the anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, an attack set off by explosives made from fertilizer that killed 168 people on April 19, 1995. And it happened two days after bombs exploded at the finish line at the Boston Marathon. | Law enforcement officials said they had not determined the cause of either the fire or the explosion. The blast occurred two days before the anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, an attack set off by explosives made from fertilizer that killed 168 people on April 19, 1995. And it happened two days after bombs exploded at the finish line at the Boston Marathon. |
| The White House issued a statement from President Obama, in which 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, in which 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.” |
| Gov. Rick Perry called the explosion “a truly nightmare scenario” and said that information about death and injury was “very preliminary.” But he said that because of West’s small size, “this tragedy has most likely hit every family.” | Gov. Rick Perry called the explosion “a truly nightmare scenario” and said that information about death and injury was “very preliminary.” But he said that because of West’s small size, “this tragedy has most likely hit every family.” |
| The response by federal officials echoed that of some of the country’s deadliest bombings, fires and acts of terrorism. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a 20-member national response team of explosives specialists, chemists and other experts, as had been done after the Oklahoma City bombing and the attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. The Chemical Safety Board, the federal entity that investigates chemical disasters, said that it had sent a team too. | The response by federal officials echoed that of some of the country’s deadliest bombings, fires and acts of terrorism. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a 20-member national response team of explosives specialists, chemists and other experts, as had been done after the Oklahoma City bombing and the attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. The Chemical Safety Board, the federal entity that investigates chemical disasters, said that it had sent a team too. |
| The plant, operated by the West Chemical and Fertilizer Company, which is owned by Adair Grain Inc., had only nine employees. It did not manufacture any products, but instead stored and sold agricultural chemicals and fertilizer to farmers. The company stored substantial amounts of anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate, chemicals used as commercial fertilizers that can become explosive under proper conditions. | The plant, operated by the West Chemical and Fertilizer Company, which is owned by Adair Grain Inc., had only nine employees. It did not manufacture any products, but instead stored and sold agricultural chemicals and fertilizer to farmers. The company stored substantial amounts of anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate, chemicals used as commercial fertilizers that can become explosive under proper conditions. |
| A filing late last year with the Environmental Protection Agency stated that the company stored 540,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate on the site and 110,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. | A filing late last year with the Environmental Protection Agency stated that the company stored 540,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate on the site and 110,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. |
| Records kept by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration show that the agency last inspected the plant 28 years ago. In that inspection, dated Feb. 13, 1985, the agency found five “serious” violations, including ones involving improper storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia and improper respiratory protection for workers. The agency imposed a $30 penalty on the company. | Records kept by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration show that the agency last inspected the plant 28 years ago. In that inspection, dated Feb. 13, 1985, the agency found five “serious” violations, including ones involving improper storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia and improper respiratory protection for workers. The agency imposed a $30 penalty on the company. |
| Last June, the company was fined $5,250 by the federal Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for violations involving anhydrous ammonia. An investigator reported the violations after an inspection of the plant in September 2011, and the agency later determined that the company had corrected the violations. | Last June, the company was fined $5,250 by the federal Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for violations involving anhydrous ammonia. An investigator reported the violations after an inspection of the plant in September 2011, and the agency later determined that the company had corrected the violations. |
| An OSHA spokesman said the plant was not included in its so-called National Emphasis Plan for inspections because it did not produce explosives and had no major prior accidents, and the E.P.A. did not rate it as a major risk. | An OSHA spokesman said the plant was not included in its so-called National Emphasis Plan for inspections because it did not produce explosives and had no major prior accidents, and the E.P.A. did not rate it as a major risk. |
| Zak Covar, the executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said the company had been in business since 1962 and was one of a number of small fertilizer companies across rural Texas. The company has “an average compliance history,” with one air-quality complaint registered. In that episode, on June 9, 2006, according to state records, residents complained to the commission about an “ammonia smell” that was “very bad last night.” | Zak Covar, the executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said the company had been in business since 1962 and was one of a number of small fertilizer companies across rural Texas. The company has “an average compliance history,” with one air-quality complaint registered. In that episode, on June 9, 2006, according to state records, residents complained to the commission about an “ammonia smell” that was “very bad last night.” |
| That occurrence was investigated by the agency and resolved with the granting of two air permits to the company by the end of that year, Mr. Covar said. | That occurrence was investigated by the agency and resolved with the granting of two air permits to the company by the end of that year, Mr. Covar said. |
| Because it was built in 1962, the facility was grandfathered in to state regulations, Mr. Covar said. The company was supposed to get reauthorized in 2004, but failed to do so. Mr. Covar did not know the reason. | Because it was built in 1962, the facility was grandfathered in to state regulations, Mr. Covar said. The company was supposed to get reauthorized in 2004, but failed to do so. Mr. Covar did not know the reason. |
| Raymond J. Snokhous, a retired lawyer who lives in West, spoke of the blast, seesawing between sadness over the devastation and relief at having survived it. | Raymond J. Snokhous, a retired lawyer who lives in West, spoke of the blast, seesawing between sadness over the devastation and relief at having survived it. |
| “It was a dandy, I tell you,” he said in a telephone interview, adding: “That was a bad experience. Fortunately, we got through it unscathed, but unfortunately, a lot of people didn’t.” | “It was a dandy, I tell you,” he said in a telephone interview, adding: “That was a bad experience. Fortunately, we got through it unscathed, but unfortunately, a lot of people didn’t.” |
| He was sitting with friends on Wednesday evening at the Knights of Columbus Hall, several hundred yards from the plant, for the group’s regular meeting. “We were just about to get it started when the dadgum thing blew,” he said 24 hours later. “It shook that building so bad — knocked a lot of the guys out of their chairs. All the ceiling panels and so forth came down, and the light fixtures fell out and the insulation fell out all over everything, and it was not a pleasant sight. The noise was excruciating.” | He was sitting with friends on Wednesday evening at the Knights of Columbus Hall, several hundred yards from the plant, for the group’s regular meeting. “We were just about to get it started when the dadgum thing blew,” he said 24 hours later. “It shook that building so bad — knocked a lot of the guys out of their chairs. All the ceiling panels and so forth came down, and the light fixtures fell out and the insulation fell out all over everything, and it was not a pleasant sight. The noise was excruciating.” |
| Two of his second cousins, he said, were killed in the explosion. “They were firemen,” he said. “Two young lives that didn’t need to go — but they’re gone.” | Two of his second cousins, he said, were killed in the explosion. “They were firemen,” he said. “Two young lives that didn’t need to go — but they’re gone.” |
| The town of West is home to a number of Czech-Americans, and one of its most popular stores is the Czech Stop and Little Czech Bakery, which serves strudels and kolaches, a puffy pastry filled with meat or fruit. | The town of West is home to a number of Czech-Americans, and one of its most popular stores is the Czech Stop and Little Czech Bakery, which serves strudels and kolaches, a puffy pastry filled with meat or fruit. |
| The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington issued a statement expressing its condolences to the families of the victims, several of whom were of Czech descent, embassy officials said. | The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington issued a statement expressing its condolences to the families of the victims, several of whom were of Czech descent, embassy officials said. |
| The Czech ambassador, Petr Gandalovic, arrived in West on Thursday. | The Czech ambassador, Petr Gandalovic, arrived in West on Thursday. |
| One of the firefighters who died was Kenny Harris, 52, a captain with Dallas Fire-Rescue. He lived in West, but was not a member of the town’s volunteer department. He had been off duty when he learned of the fire at the plant, according to a spokesman for Dallas Fire-Rescue. | One of the firefighters who died was Kenny Harris, 52, a captain with Dallas Fire-Rescue. He lived in West, but was not a member of the town’s volunteer department. He had been off duty when he learned of the fire at the plant, according to a spokesman for Dallas Fire-Rescue. |
| “Captain Harris rushed to the scene, compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis,” Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas said in a statement. “I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.” | “Captain Harris rushed to the scene, compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis,” Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas said in a statement. “I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.” |
| Captain Harris was married and the father of three sons. He had served with Dallas Fire-Rescue for 30 years. | Captain Harris was married and the father of three sons. He had served with Dallas Fire-Rescue for 30 years. |
Clifford Krauss and Fernanda Santos reported from West, Tex. Manny Fernandez contributed reporting from West, John Schwartz and Emma G. Fitzsimmons from New York. | Clifford Krauss and Fernanda Santos reported from West, Tex. Manny Fernandez contributed reporting from West, John Schwartz and Emma G. Fitzsimmons from New York. |