WACO (April 17, 2013)—Emergency crews from throughout Central Texas responded Wednesday night after a major explosion at a burning fertilizer plant in West north of Waco.
West firefighters were dispatched to the plant earlier in the evening after an earlier fire rekindled.
The explosion was reported at around 7:50 p.m. in a frantic radio call from the scene of the fire at West Fertilizer at 1471 Jerry Mashek Dr. just off Interstate 35.
Numerous injuries were reported and multiple ambulances were requested.
Several buildings were reported destroyed and a nearby nursing home was damaged.
There were reports that people were trapped in the nursing home and in an apartment building.
Scanner traffic indicated that some residents of both the nursing home and apartment building were severely injured.
Department of Public Safety troopers transported some victims to hospitals in patrol cars, said Gayle Scarbrough at the DPS Communications Center in Waco.
A triage area was established at the intersection of Haven and North Reagan Streets, but it was later moved to Marable and Meadow Streets.
Six helicopters were en route to West and were landing at the baseball field on Tokio Road, south of town, said Gayle Scarbrough, Department of Public Safety Communications in Waco.
Brad Smith of Waxahachie said he and his wife heard what sounded like a thunderclap.
Lydia Zimmerman of Bynum was working in the garden with her husband and daughter at the time of the explosion.
“It sounded like three bombs going off very close to us,” she said.
Gulf war veteran Paul L. Manigrasso felt the blast in Waxahachie.
“Based on my Naval experience...we knew immediately what it was, but cannot believe it occurred 40 miles away,” he said.
Seventy confirmed dead and hundreds in hospital and baseball field full of triage. Breaking: 5 firefighters dead and 1 police officer.
I know fertilizer plants are bad news. My dad said the worst fire of his career of 20 years on the fire department was a fertilizer plant. They simply had to let it burn itself out, nothing can stop it. So I certainly feel for these people.
But geez, the symbolism this week. Boston (heart of the Revolution) and now Waco? What's next, OKC?
(http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2013/04/waco2.jpg)
Spooky.
Since Waco yeah, however, West is no stranger to calamity (http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/known-for-its-roadside-kolaches-west-home-to-czech/nXQFM/).