The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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Oversight needed after West blast

The Texas fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people a year ago could have been prevented — and agencies at all levels haven’t done enough to change the circumstances that led to the catastrophe, federal officials said Tuesday.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board presented its preliminary findings about the blast in West, Texas, in front of a packed room of residents and town officials still rebuilding after the April 17, 2013, explosion leveled part of the tiny town and injured 200 people.

Even though several investigations have not determined the exact cause of the fire, the board said it’s clear the owners of West Fertilizer Co. failed to safely store hazardous chemicals or prepare for a potential disaster. The board also said several levels of federal, state and local government missed opportunities to prevent
the tragedy.

Investigators said the firefighters who rushed to an initial fire at the plant didn’t know enough about the dangers they faced inside: 40 to 60 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizer that detonated due to the blaze.

But experts on a panel convened by the safety board said Tuesday night that even if the firefighters had known more, there still isn’t clear guidance on what to do in that kind of situation.

Among those in the audience was West Mayor Tommy Muska, a volunteer firefighter who responded the night of the blast. Muska thanked the board for holding its meeting in the city.

“It is my personal hope and prayer that the lessons learned from your report … will be enacted, and measures put in place so that the loss of the first responders’ lives will not be in vain,” Muska said.

Despite investigations that have yielded information about safety deficiencies at the plant and voluntary safety steps taken by the nation’s fertilizer industry, not a single state or federal law requiring change has been passed since April 17, 2013.

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