Arson blamed for 2013 Texas fertilizer plant blast
According to
the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the April
2013 fire at the West Fertilizer Co. plant in West, Texas, was set
intentionally. The explosion killed 15 people and destroyed over 500 residences
in a 37-block area, leaving buildings in the surrounding community ablaze.
The US Geological Survey reported that it had recorded an earthquake measuring 2.1 on the Richter scale.
The ATF
conducted more than 400 interviews, re-examined the accident scene and made a
thorough review of witness photographs and videos. “All viable accidental and
natural fire scenarios were hypothesized, tested and eliminated,” the statement
said.
In 2014, the
US Chemical Safety Board stated that national regulations on the handling and
storage of ammonium nitrate fertilizer are needed to avoid this type of massive
explosion. The explosion was “preventable,” and the 40 t to 60 t of ammonium
nitrate, which is banned in many countries, that ignited were stored in wooden buildings
and bins rather than concrete, with no modern fire-suppression equipment,
according to the board’s chairman.
CF Industries
Holdings Inc., the largest US producer of nitrogen fertilizer, is not
commenting on the US bureau’s findings. The company was sued by the city of
West for supplying the ammonium nitrate to the plant.
A $50,000
reward has been offered for any information leading to an arrest of the
responsible people, according to a statement issued on the ATF website.
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