Deadly West, Texas, Fertilizer Plant Explosion Was 'Criminal Act': Feds

[deminks]

Source: NBC News

A 2013 fertilizer plant blast in West, Texas, that killed 15 people and injured 160 others was caused by a "criminal act," federal officials said Wednesday.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed the findings of its investigation of the deadly fire and explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. on April 17, 2013 — the same week the nation was gripped by the Boston Marathon bombing.

Among the dead in West were 10 first responders and two volunteers who were killed while fighting an initial fire before the blast occurred.

The explosion flattened the rural Texas community of 2,800 people, just north of Waco, turning it into rubble as people tried desperately to flee the horrific scene.


Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deadly-west-texas-fertilizer-plant-explosion-was-criminal-act-feds-n572231

[niyad]

1. WOW!!!!!! it only took them THREE YEARS to come to this conclusion?

[jmowreader]

6. You really need to read the story

They're saying they believe someone intentionally set this stuff off.

[niyad]

7. yes, I read it. again, THREE YEARS??

[jmowreader]

8. They needed to be damn good and sure

[reACTIONary]

16. It says that they came to that conclusion after..

,, ruling out all natural and accidental causes. So there was no positive direct evudence. They would have had to go through a long list of hypotheticals.

[Jerry442]

11. Actually, the article is vague but it does imply that a fire was set.

Nowhere does it say the ammonium nitrate fertilizer was directly detonated. The person who set the fire might have even been unaware of the possibility of a devastating explosion. I don't know what the odds are of an explosion in a fire of this nature, but it's far from being a sure thing. I wonder how that would play out in a trial if they should charge someone.

[jmowreader]

15. AN + fire + enclosed space = devastation

In 1947, the worst industrial accident in the US happened in Texas City, which is a port city on the Gulf Coast. You can google this, but there were two ships in the harbor - the Grandcamp and the High Flyer - loaded with bagged ammonium nitrate. One of the ships' cargo caught fire. By the time it was over, both ships had exploded, over 500 people died, half the town's buildings were leveled... There is a Memorial Park in Texas City that's between three and four straight-line miles from the port. Its centerpiece is one of the Grandcamp's anchors that was blown off in the explosion, and the park is located where the anchor landed. Grandcamp was an old Liberty ship, and the anchors on those probably weigh between 10 and 20 tons.

I would like President Hillary to task the Army Research Laboratory to invent a new fertilizer that can't be turned into a bomb. Ammonia is already explosive...and when you nitrate it? Gee kids, what COULD go wrong?

[Jerry442]

17. There's this:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-nonexplosive-fertilizer/

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Well, yeah. Forensic science is not easy and takes time. Further ...

Read the article.

They conducted over 400 interviews. It takes time to interview, to find people to interview, to locate the person, to persuade them, to analyze the transcript, to correlate the information with other interview & with forensics, to review forensics to determine other interviews to conduct, and so forth.

On the other hand, someone like Trump and his followers would make a snap judgement in a few hours and arrest a few people to make a big noise and look like they are doing something that doesn't take three years.

[Blue_Tires]

14. I'm guessing it took a while to sift through the wreckage

for relevant forensic evidence... And they don't make announcements until they are absolutely 100% sure...

Of course, they could have come to a conclusion some time ago and are only just announcing it now for whatever reasons...

[turbinetree]

2. You think so ---------------the company falsified the records -----

this is the same state that has gutted OSHA, environmental requirements and every other inspection requirements, inspection personnel, needed to keep people safe, they let the companies self regulate--------------how's that going, that state has had more explosions in the last tens years, compared to any other state in this country.

I just wonder when the people of the state are going to ask for hazardous living pay there, you have guns floating around every where, and companies doing whatever they want.

This was on Perry's watch, when this happen, and now they have Abbott, who was suppose to investigate this "stuff" when he was the AG and now they let and put him in charge of the clown show, down there--------------amazing------------some how this is going to be laid at the feet of Feds, because there was to much regulations---------------watch


Honk-----------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

[passiveporcupine]

3. Two horrible events to be reminded of

The devastation of this small town and the Boston Marathon.

[dem in texas]

4. Another Texas Fertilizer Plant fire in 2014

Another fertilizer storage facility in Athens, Texas caught fire and burned in 2014. The circumstances were almost identical to the fire in West. But the Athens fire department was able to get the fire out and avoid an explosion. It the fire had exploded like the one in West, more people would have killed because Athens is a larger town. After the Athens fire, the fire chief said the fire looked "suspicious".

There are more of these fertilizer storage plants located near homes and schools in other small towns in Texas. There was also a huge fire at a chemical plant at a town in Ellis county, again it was near homes and schools. No zoning in these towns to prohibit locating these plants in residential areas. Gov. Perry put a black out on reporting about them and would permit no zoning changes. Now Governor Abbot is carrying on with Perry's directions.

[blm]

5. Probably already set up someone to 'frame' for it, too.

.

[PersonNumber503602]

18. How many of those towns built up around the plants?

Isn't that how it happened in West? Maybe that was misinformation, but that's what I recall reading. Either way, you'd think the people in charge of zoning wouldn't allow such zoning to take place whether the plant was there first or not.

[Dustlawyer]

9. BP killed 15 and injured thousands in 2005 in Texas City.

DuPont killed 4 a couple years ago and many, many others in between.

We don't need no pesky regulations to kill business, just people!

[christx30]

10. Video of the explosion. Do NOT watch at full volume.

[passy]

13. Did anyone notice when it happened ? (Waco siege)

Well it was almost 20 years minus two days since the end of the Waco siege that took place about 20 miles away.

[TexasBushwhacker]

19. Fertizer plants store anhydrous ammonia

which is also used to manufacture methamphetine. One would think that Texas would require more security for these plants and require big fat liability insurance policies but NOOOOOOO! That would be considered "anti-business".