Fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX kills 14

[gschwendt]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/18/texas-explosion-west-fertilizer-plant_n_3105341.html

As many as 60 to 70 people may have been killed in a fertilizer plant explosion on Wednesday night in West, Texas, KWTX reported. West EMS Director Dr. George Smith told the TV station that hundreds of people were also injured in the blast.

Tommy Muska, West's mayor, said at a news conference that the exact number of deaths was still unknown. However, buildings in a five-block radius from the plant were severely damaged by the explosion, Muska said.

Cause of the blast has not yet been determined.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrpKx3aIjA&feature=youtu.be

[morsdraconis]

Holy shit! Jesus christ...

[psuexv]

And this why you never go to video tape a fire.... terrible tragedy but what a dumb ass for being that close with a kid.

[JBHuskers]

Damn that's scary at the end. Hope the kid is okay.

[AustinWolv]

Damn......

Apparently a bunch of volunteer firefighters are missing, according to a friend down here. Haven't seen that confirmed in the news though.
(Just saw this article hit: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Some-Firefighters-Unaccounted-for-After-Blast-203560381.html)
In addition, a lady that my wife knows has an elderly relative in a nearby senior citizen home that is missing......again, not confirmed......

Blowing out a windshield is no joke.

"It was like being in a tornado," Marak, 58, said during a phone interview. "Stuff was flying everywhere. It blew out my windshield. It was like the whole earth shook."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/18/numerous-injuries-reported-in-large-explosion-at-texas-fertilizer-plant/

[SmoothPancakes]

Yeah, when a fertilizer plant catches on fire, you want to get as far the fuck away from that as you can. I've seen so many shows over the years of explosions at fertilizer plants and the sort. They are a ticking time bomb when they catch on fire, and the resulting explosion is like that, like a nuclear bomb just went off.

[JBHuskers]

Yeah, when a fertilizer plant catches on fire, you want to get as far the fuck away from that as you can. I've seen so many shows over the years of explosions at fertilizer plants and the sort. They are a ticking time bomb when they catch on fire, and the resulting explosion is like that, like a nuclear bomb just went off.

The comparison to a nuclear bomb drives me nuts. If it was like a nuclear bomb, everyone in a 50-80 mile radius would be dead.

[SmoothPancakes]

The comparison to a nuclear bomb drives me nuts. If it was like a nuclear bomb, everyone in a 50-80 mile radius would be dead.

Not really. If it was a major one, like the US and Russia have mounted on missiles, then yeah. But if it's a small suitcase nuke or a small one in the back of a van, it would just wipe out a town. I've seen a show on History Channel talking about what if a nuclear weapon was set off in the middle of D.C. in the back of a van. The first mile from the epicenter would be incinerated, then 1-5 miles out would be severe damage, but survivable depending on where you were located. After that the damage grows significantly less the further out you got. So it all depends on what the size of the nuclear explosion would be when making the comparison.

[AustinWolv]

The comparison to a nuclear bomb drives me nuts. If it was like a nuclear bomb, everyone in a 50-80 mile radius would be dead.

That isn't entirely true......
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2101508/Want-know-effect-nuclear-bomb-home-town-Theres-app-that.html

That references the largest nuke made.

[SmoothPancakes]

That isn't entirely true......
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2101508/Want-know-effect-nuclear-bomb-home-town-Theres-app-that.html

That references the largest nuke made.

Yep, I just tried out the app on West, Texas. Anything 20 kiloton nuke or less would only wipe out the town. Less than 0.5 kiloton only wipes out part of the town, similar to what happened yesterday. So a crude terrorist nuke (100 t) or the 2006 North Korea nuke (500 t) would only take out part of the town.

http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/?lat=31.8023831&lng=-97.09166920000001&zm=15&kt=0.5

[psuexv]

Well if the conversations in the Boston thread don't draw some attention from Homeland then I'm sure that combined with this thread will :D

[SmoothPancakes]

:D I blame Discovery Channel, History Channel, Military Channel and Science Channel and the shows they air.

[AustinWolv]

Well if the conversations in the Boston thread don't draw some attention from Homeland then I'm sure that combined with this thread will :D

For a moment, I was thinking you were referring to the TV show. :)

[JBHuskers]

By the way, it's 5 to 15 dead, not 60 to 70.

[gschwendt]

Another video of the explosion... you can see the blast move outwards as it explodes. Audio NSFW


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JTVUA-jJ11I

[SmoothPancakes]

This was one of the very first things I thought about when seeing the various videos.

Note, that this is obviously not from the Texas explosion, but from a chemical plant (Pepcon) explosion in Henderson, Nevada back in 1988. It's from watching the various shows that talk about these incidents that has long since ingrained in my mind, be it chemical, fertilizer, whatever, if an industrial plant is on fire, I'm getting as far the fuck away from it as quickly as I possibly can.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOPP4ZBgnoA

[bdoughty]

One good thing about social media is it allows people stupid enough to make vile, racist comments for everyone to see, end up accountable for their actions on such an occasion.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Grand-Prairie-councilor-relieved-of-duties-after-comment-on-WFAAs-Facebook-page-203681141.html

Facebook was hacked, sure it was.

[CLW]

One good thing about social media is it allows people stupid enough to make vile, racist comments for everyone to see, end up accountable for their actions on such an occasion.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Grand-Prairie-councilor-relieved-of-duties-after-comment-on-WFAAs-Facebook-page-203681141.html

Facebook was hacked, sure it was.


She better quit while she is "ahead" since they will be able to trace the post to her own P.C. at an exact time when only she was home. Next thing you know it will be aliens invading her body and forcing her to type the message.

[Deuce]

That's so dumb is almost comical. How does a school counselor think she can get away with posting anything controversial?

[steelerfan]

"This is not, and never will be, apart of my character."

It's "a part" not "apart". Dumb cunt.

Enviado de meu SAMSUNG SGH I997 usando o Tapatalk 2

[JBHuskers]

Everyone is accounted for, 14 dead. 12 of them were first responders :fdown: