ATF: Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion was Criminal Act

The deadly blaze that destroyed West Fertilizer Co. in West, Texas, in 2013 was a criminal act, according to the ATF.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spent more than $2 million on its investigation, which included building life-size replicas of parts of the plant and interviewing more than 400 people. It concluded that the fire was set in the seed room.

No arrests have been made, the bureau said, and the investigation remains open. The agency is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest, and
McLennan County Crimestoppers is offering another $2,000.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board in January issued a report finding that limited regulatory oversight, poor hazard awareness, inadequate emergency planning and the proximity of the plant to nearby homes all led to the event’s severity, but the board didn’t identify the cause of the fire that led to the explosion.

The CSB said poor building ventilation and wooden storage bins contributed to the intensity of the blaze, and contamination of the ammonium nitrate fertilizer made it prone to explode.

There was no evidence of terrorism, said a special agent with ATF Houston. A paramedic who drew suspicion in the weeks following the explosion has been cleared of wrongdoing.

The plant exploded 14 minutes after the first 911 call on April 17, 2013, killing 12 firefighters and three others, injuring more than 260 and causing an estimated $230 million in losses. The blast left a crater 93 feet wide and 12 feet deep.

The damage was inflicted across a 37-square-block area, destroying more than 500 homes, apartments, a high school, and a nursing home. Had it happened earlier in the day, with school in session, hundreds more people would likely have been killed and injured.

Source: Houston Chronicle S