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Up to 15 people reported to have died - searching of destroyed buildings is ongoing, so the number is not known, may be less, may be more. Over 160 injured.

 

There was a fire at the fertiliser plant which caused ammonia to explode. Although the scene is being treated as a crime scene, the police say this is standard procedure and there were no indications that it was anthing other than an accident.

El Loro
I'm quite familiar with two fertiliser plants. There are stringent rules in place regarding storage of the product. New studies took place after the French explosion way back when. This was caused by storing the product in a huge pile rather than bagged in pre determined quantities and ISOLATED areas. It's doubtful that ammonia would explode in such a fashion.
Garage Joe

The explosion at West Fertilizer Co.  shook  the ground in the small  community of 2,800 people located about 20 miles north  of Waco.

The tragedy raised fears of another U.S.  terror attack just days after the Boston bombs that killed three people, and  comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Waco siege, but Mr Swanton said the  blast was more likely to be a terrible industrial accident.

 

Explosion: Up to 70 people are feared dead and scores more are injured after a huge explosion ripped through a fertilizer plant near the town of West, Texas last night

Explosion: Up to 15 people are feared dead including  five volunteer firefighters after a giant explosion at a fertiliser plant  wreaked devastation in the town of West, Texas, leaving hundreds with horrific  injuries

Devastation: Up to 70 people were feared dead, according to reports from the local EMS director on Wednesday night

Devastation: The blast destroyed scores of buildings,  including a nursing home and an apartment complex and blanketed the area in a  cloud of toxic fumes

A fire still burns in a apartment complex near the explosion

Search: The missing volunteer firefighters and a  policeman were attending a blaze at the plant at about 7:50pm local time last  night it suddenly exploded into a fireball - it thought to be caused by  anhydrous ammonia igniting in the heat of the fire

Terrifying: A fire blazes in a home near to the plant - some people are thought still to be trapped in buildings and a number of firefighters are reported missing

Terrifying: A fire blazes in a home near to the plant -  some people are thought still to be trapped in buildings and a number of  firefighters are reported missing.

 

FM
Originally Posted by Garage Joe:
I'm quite familiar with two fertiliser plants. There are stringent rules in place regarding storage of the product. New studies took place after the French explosion way back when. This was caused by storing the product in a huge pile rather than bagged in pre determined quantities and ISOLATED areas. It's doubtful that ammonia would explode in such a fashion.

So in your experience & opinion, do you think it is highly possible that it wasn't an accident?

Cinds
Originally Posted by Garage Joe:
I'm quite familiar with two fertiliser plants. There are stringent rules in place regarding storage of the product. New studies took place after the French explosion way back when. This was caused by storing the product in a huge pile rather than bagged in pre determined quantities and ISOLATED areas. It's doubtful that ammonia would explode in such a fashion.

they said ammonium nitrate, not ammonia, the former is the explosive element when combined with certain other factors probably caused by the initial fire causing toxic fumes to mix with it and boom. .

Mount Olympus *Olly*
Well who knows? In 30+years I don't recall anyone considering ammonia as having explosive capabilities, unless it came into contact with certain metals or halogens. People were more concerned about toxicity and cold burns. Whether it can explode or not, in this country it was manufactured and stored at least a mile away from the fertiliser plant, as was the CNA, both being pumped in according to production rates. You'll be pleased to know that we have automatic drenching systems and bunds too.
Garage Joe

On the BBC Midlands news today:

 

Tens of thousands of tonnes of cardboard is on fire at a paper mill in Birmingham.

Twenty fire crews remain at the Smurfit Kappa plant, a mill for recycled packaging, in Nechells.

More than 70 firefighters are tackling the blaze in Mount Street, which broke out at about 22:00 BST on Wednesday, and 100 were at the scene overnight.

The fire service said no-one had been injured and the fire was not thought to be suspicious.

Crews, who are expecting the fire to burn for several days said it was now confined to a seven-acre area at the site, near the M6 motorway.

West Midlands Fire Service said a potentially dangerous situation was averted when a train carrying aviation fuel, due to pass the site at about 05:00 BST, was stopped eight miles away by Network Rail.

Following a safety assessment the train was allowed to continue 45 minutes later.

 

Made me think today's explosion in America could have been repeated here.

 

El Loro
Originally Posted by Cinds:
Originally Posted by KaffyBaffy:
Originally Posted by Videostar:

It was funny timing, what with the Boston bombings this week.

Absolute Radio this morning introduced the article with 'On the eve of the anniversary of the Waco massacre' ... like it was somehow connected.  

It's also the eve of the Oklahoma City bombing too.  


It's just too strange the timing, I wouldn't be surprised that when they find all the dead and injured and can look through the wreckage that they will find bits of a device.

Videostar

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