Explosion near Waco

That was my first thought, LullyDully, as it is the anniversary. The last I heard it was looking like an accident, still dreadful but preferable to deliberate.

No of course it's not linked to that hugely badly handled siege. Fertiliser plants contain highly explosive and dangerous chemicals. America is not especially strong on its safety regulations. Do you remember how the IRA used agricultural fertiliser in their bombs and relatively recently some potential Islamist terrorists were detected keeping vast quantities of fertiliser in a storage facility and then arrested? I feel pretty sure that this is a straightforward but very horrible accident.

I believe it was an accident , not linked at all .

I have an online friend who owns a ranch near Waco I'm hoping her absence from a community we both belong to is because she and her family are busy helping their neighbours.. the community of West is well nigh flattened and most families have been touched by this disaster. It does sound like an awful accident so far.

"Emergency services said ammonia may have caused the fireball at West Fertilizer Inc, which reportedly had 20 tonnes of anhydrous ammonia on site."

"Today, it also emerged that the facility was cited in 2006 by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for failing to obtain or qualify for a permit, after a complaint of a strong smell of ammonia.

The authorities were also aware of the quantities of ammonia on site, despite its proximity to schools and the nursing home."

The Independent

My friend has just posted all is well with her she is about 20miles from the blast , she and her family are waiting for info so they can give what help they can to the community. She did say everyone is thankful this happened in the evening when the local school was shut as it is near to the plant and has been all but destroyed in the blast.
I did read that the plant has had problems in the past.

I see a school have been destroyed in the blast. Thank goodness it happened after school hours when no pupils there.