When the fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas last night “it was like a small nuke,” said a senior Obama administration about the force of the explosion and the damage it caused.
Although exact fatality numbers haven’t been released by authorities in Texas, the administration official said there are fears that the death toll could be much higher than the 15 people speculated about since the explosion took place.
Authorities suspect the blast was set off by a rail car holding a large quantity of ammonia nitrate that somehow caught fire or blew up. The Obama offical told The Post that investigators are now trying to determine whether the ammonia nitrate-carrying train was on the fertilizer plant’s property or on an adjacent site.
That question is critical, the official said, because the plant does not list ammonium nitrate as a chemical that it handles under the plant’s emergency plan on file with federal regulators — as it should be if the plant does handle such a chemical.
“There’s no ammonium nitrate reporting on their emergency plan,” the official said, noting that that plan was most recently reviewed by regulators in 2011.
In 2004, the facility was cited by federal regulators for its lack of a required emergency plan, the official said. The facility had rectified that failure by 2006.
Regarding the fire and subsequent explosion, the official said, “It’s believed right now that it is an industrial accident,” adding that authorities have essentially ruled out the possibility that the conflagration was an act of terrorism.
“Something caught fire, and therefore lead to the ammonium blast,” the official said.
“But it still could be criminal,” the official said, pointing out that if someone had been negligent or reckless in storing or handling unapproved chemicals on the site, they could face prosecution.
Because of the ammonium still in the air, investigators have been unable to get access to the blast scene, and figure out where exactly the explosion began.
But air monitors in the surrounding community are showing safe readings, because there is a northwestern wind blowing chemicals away from the residential areas, the official said.
Earlier in the day Texas Govenor Rick Perry declaired McLennan County a disaster area in the wake of the explosion.
“Last night was truly a nightmare scenario for that community,” Perry said at a news conference today. “I ask all Texans and Americans to join me and [my wife] Anita in keeping them in our prayers.”
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The plant owners deliberately hid the danger from the public and regulators. Many people are dead and injured as a result. It took more than a day for major TV networks to realize that this was an ammonium nitrate detonation. As a fertilizer consultant, it was immdiately apparent.
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Thank you, I found that very strange. I don’t know what’s wrong with the media today, they ask no, questions or do any investigation. This is a great dis-service to the public. My hearts go out to the victims in this. The first responders didn’t know that ammonium nitrate was close either. You can’t tell me they did no emergency preparadness for this. I happen to know that the fire department keeps accurate records on plants such as this, in their districts, and they would have responded differently if they had known. Thanks again, for bringing that to light. God Bless.
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Reblogged this on We Wrestle Not With Flesh and Blood.
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