Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 was criminal act - ATF

Remember this explosion that killed 15 in West, TX?

A blast that killed 15 people three years ago triggered by a fire at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas was a criminal act, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigator said on Wednesday.

Yeah, they finally determined that someone set that fire that led to that explosion that killed those people, 12 of them first responders. It was the only hypothesis they could not eliminate.

The source of the explosion was ammonium nitrate stored in a wooden container at the plant, investigators said previously.

The ammonium nitrate detonated with the force of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 pounds (6,800 kilos to 9,000 kilos) of TNT, according to federal officials.

The blast obliterated an entire neighborhood - including the high school and a nursing home - on the north side of the town, where the plant had been operating for more than 50 years.

My dad worked in and around that stuff for years. You don't mess with it. I hope they find the person or people who did this or allowed it to happen through negligence, but after so long, I'm afraid that trail is long gone.

a reply to: ketsuko

I was sad to hear that, when I lived in Texas always stopped there for the good food and bakery items.

a reply to: ketsuko

People get complacent. Then fire hits.

Not much evidence left after that explosion, unless a passport came fluttering down.

a reply to: Kester

I don't see that anyone made any assumptions about who did it. For all anyone knows, it was a disgruntled former employee. I even said it could have been negligence.

However, the only scenario the ATF says they could not rule out was an incendiary, meaning the fire was set somehow - either accidentally through negligence or intentionally through arson. Either way, someone should answer for it.

a reply to: ketsuko

first,define "criminal act". From what I've read and recall,they were storing 10-100 times as much as needed to be reported to the gov't,without reporting it,a crime in itself.
Second..you store all this with no fire suppression? A crime.....
Third..you store it in an open area...hmmm,lets store gas outside??
if there is a criminal,its the manager,owner,whatever cheapskate that ignored the rules.
I recall some big a!! explosion in a harbor in Houston? 45 or 46...blew the whole place away...History repeats itself,all for profits

a reply to: ketsuko

your post seem's to make it sound as if a terrorist crossed the border and set a fire?!! There is ZERO evidence of any such thing,if anything,it was corporate negligence! The worst problem is,any evidence was vaporized,the only thing we KNOW for a fact was they had WAY too much ammonium nitrate in stock,not reported to the gov't.

They had filled a lawsuit against MONSANTO. Enough said.

blogs.wsj.com...

a reply to: blkcwbyhat

"The only hypothesis that could not be eliminated ... and was confirmed by extensive testing ... is incendiary," Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigator Rob Elder, special agent in charge for the Houston field office.

This comes from the source. I did nothing beyond report what the source said.

There is a very big difference between being cited and wrongdoing. Did the problem come from the breach of regulation? If the investigation cannot come up with any other explanation than an incendiary, then while the company should be cited for any breach of regulation, the incendiary is a separate problem.

It could have been as easy as an idiot sneaking a cigarette break in a non-smoking area nearby to have accidentally start a fire. Or, it could have been someone with a more nefarious intent.

If a suspect hasn't been flushed out by now, it may never be solved.

An Egyptian company Orascom Construction Industries is building a 500 acre $2 Billion natural gas based fertilizer plant in Wever, Iowa. They've had multiple bomb threats. When the Texas plant exploded it was equivalent to a 2.1 earthquake. Should we be concerned about this with the New Madrid fault line?

a reply to: ketsuko

News Flash!

Water, ...... [ wait for it ]....

IS WET!!!!!!

a reply to: ketsuko

It was a terrible event. I remember seeing the video at the time, it made me think about the dangers of stopping to watching a fire.

This is one of our covered-up major explosions. www.abovetopsecret.com...

originally posted by: errck
They had filled a lawsuit against MONSANTO. Enough said.

blogs.wsj.com...

Uh, no, that's not enough said. Monsanto is a giant company, with hundreds (if not more) of lawsuits of varying scope filed against it. If you're suggesting Monsanto set a fire, you need to get off the conspiracy sites and get outside more often.

a reply to: blkcwbyhat

I do not know how you got the impression that Ketsuko was attempting to imply anything involving a terror plot.

The wording was clear, concise, and accurate. Whether caused by accident or deliberate action, the explosion was criminally initiated, and someone should be in jail for it. No one implied anything else, at any time. I fail to see how you managed to infer anything about terrorism from what was posted.

iirc, this was on the heels of a series of chem plant blasts in China. It was a possible tit-for-tat.