On April 17, 2013, a tragedy unfolded in a the town of West, Texas, as an explosion erupted at a seed and fertilizer storage facility.
WEST, Texas — It was just another business in a small, Central Texas town.
West Fertilizer Company had been serving farmers living near Waco since 1962. But on a warm, spring night in 2013, the building caught fire.
Volunteer firefighters fought the blaze for about 20 minutes, before the worst thing happened: a massive explosion of more than 30 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer.
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Twelve firefighters and three people who lived near the plant died.
The blast injured nearly 200 people and destroyed two schools, a nursing home, an apartment complex and many homes. The explosive fertilizer had been stored in the building where the fire started.
But how did the fire start?
Three years after the explosion following a lengthy investigation, there was a stunning announcement from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. An investigator announced that the fire was incendiary, an intentional act.
The ATF hasn’t revealed what led it to its conclusion, and no one as of yet has been charged with the crime.
Now 13 years after the explosion, there has been little change in regulations for businesses that store ammonium nitrate despite the urging of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, a federal agency.
Among its recommendations, non-flammable storage bins and water sprinklers in facilities that handle the chemical.
In 2023, on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, the people of West held a memorial service to honor those who died. A town that has been rebuilt and moved on, but that will never forget April 17, 2013.