Massive explosion at Texas Fertilizer Plant

[tk13]

This apparently has just happened in the last hour... but a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas... near Waco, has exploded. Apparently it was felt up to 60 miles away. Some of the pictures rolling in on Twitter are insane. Looks like a volcano. Sounds like multiple buildings leveled, on fire, etc.

Edit - Link added: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/fire/up...1bafcf352.html

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by notorious

Buehler, am I right by thinking that 55,000 pounds of AA isn't a lot?


Hell, we have more than that sitting in the middle of nowhere around where my parents farm.

Not really. 27.5 Tons. That's something like 8 single tanks or something like that. But if it is all in one big bulk tank and the pressure release blows, it could be quite a concentration being let out at one time. If there were a bunch of trailers it would be better, but still, a little bit of that shit goes a long way.

I know the shit boils at -28 degrees F. I think there is something like 200psi of that shit at 100 degrees. I can't imagine how much pressure there would be in a damn fire.

I haven't been around much getting out, but yeah, 55,000 doesn't seem like a whole lot. Hopefully it can be dispersed fairly easily.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Not really. 27.5 Tons. That's something like 8 single tanks or something like that. But if it is all in one big bulk tank and the pressure release blows, it could be quite a concentration being let out at one time. If there were a bunch of trailers it would be better, but still, a little bit of that shit goes a long way.

I know the shit boils at -28 degrees F. I think there is something like 200psi of that shit at 100 degrees. I can't imagine how much pressure there would be in a damn fire.

I haven't been around much getting out, but yeah, 55,000 doesn't seem like a whole lot. Hopefully it can be dispersed fairly easily.

You just reminded me of a story that a KBI agent told me years ago.

They caught a Meth Freak trying to drill into the bottom of a tank. He said they should have let Meth head finish what he was trying to do so that the problem would have taken care of itself.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by savchief

Alright. I'll defer to y'all. I know diddly about fertilizer other than making my plants grow and seeing shit blown up from it. Still seems like a unnecessary risk.

Don't mean to freak you out or anything, but there are probably some close to you...

Map

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by notorious

You just reminded me of a story that a KBI agent told me years ago.

They caught a Meth Freak trying to drill into the bottom of a tank. He said they should have let Meth head finish what he was trying to do so that the problem would have taken care of itself.

I've heard a ****load of people tell me the local cops caught someone with a Dewalt drilling a hole in the tank. Epic freaking stupid.

I had some meth heads jack some from me this year.

CPS in Garden (Shallow Water branch) delivers tanks so I don't have to. Anyway, I left an empty at the end of the field. It sat there for probably a week. Anyway, there was an oil drilling crew in that field, they called Dad all freaking out because it was "leaking".

I left it there, and I channel my inner he-man when I shut the valves on those bastards. And naturally, it was just leaking that morning, not the previous weeks. So dad just called the sheriff. And the dumbass drove up to it in the fairly soft field. So the cop took tire tread pictures, measured the wheelbase, all that. Then the cop looked at the tires of the crew at the rig. What do you know, one car had awfully similar looking tread on his tires....

I don't know what happened after that, but I know the guy that owns the rig said that he is no longer with them. Apparently he saw all this going on, and the foreman told him about it. He wanted to talk to them all about their shifts or something, and they just ****ing took off. Morons.

The hell of it is that he would have got away with it if he would have shut the valve all the way off. I'd imagine he caught a pretty good whiff and wanted the **** out.

[Amnorix]

Damn... We've had a really, really shitty week.

[savchief]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Don't mean to freak you out or anything, but there are probably some close to you...

Map

Nah, those don't freak me out. Thanks though. E is probably the closest but it's a house and he's just a residential landscaping guy. Probably has more than the average homeowner in his garage, and I might not like it if he was my neighbor, but his product ain't gonna leave the island a blazing wasteland if his house catches fire and some of it lights off.
The rural areas are west of I-95. Peanuts, cotton, onions, soy beans, etc. Those will be the places that will have something similar to the Texas town.

From google that plant looked like it had a large round storage ?silo? and a cluster of tall skinny white tanks, and a couple big steel buildings. Is the big round storage what blew up?

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by savchief

Nah, those don't freak me out. Thanks though. E is probably the closest but it's a house and he's just a residential landscaping guy. Probably has more than the average homeowner in his garage, and I might not like it if he was my neighbor, but his product ain't gonna leave the island a blazing wasteland if his house catches fire and some of it lights off.
The rural areas are west of I-95. Peanuts, cotton, onions, soy beans, etc. Those will be the places that will have something similar to the Texas town.

From google that plant looked like it had a large round storage ?silo? and a cluster of tall skinny white tanks, and a couple big steel buildings. Is the big round storage what blew up?

I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd think it would be the west building. That is probably their dry fertilizer mixing facility that would house the ammonium nitrate and I'd bet that is what blew up.

The big white tanks next to that building are probably anhydrous ammonia, but a guy from there on Agtalk said they had some propane around (even better!).

[notorious]

Was it a manufacturing plant, or just a distribution center?


If it is a distribution center, there are usually a lot of silos around for grain storage.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd think it would be the west building. That is probably their dry fertilizer mixing facility that would house the ammonium nitrate and I'd bet that is what blew up.

The big white tanks next to that building are probably anhydrous ammonia, but a guy from there on Agtalk said they had some propane around (even better!).

Damnit, I am working in Red River and I can't get my usual dose of AgriTalk in the morning.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by notorious

Was it a manufacturing plant, or just a distribution center?


If it is a distribution center, there are usually a lot of silos around for grain storage.

My understanding is it is just a retailer. The picture from google shows that there is not really much there.

I think there are some grain bins there, but they may be housing dry fertilizer I don't know. It's not some massive facility, it's actually really small.

[Fritz88]

I heard some firefighters went in and didn't make it out .
Posted via Mobile Device

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Fritz88

I heard some firefighters went in and didn't make it out .
Posted via Mobile Device

That ****ing sucks.

I heard there was a fire that they went in to fight, and the fire got into the ammonium nitrate and that was the end.

[notorious]

OMG


I just saw the video of the kid and dad.

[HonestChieffan]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I've heard a ****load of people tell me the local cops caught someone with a Dewalt drilling a hole in the tank. Epic freaking stupid.

I had some meth heads jack some from me this year.

CPS in Garden (Shallow Water branch) delivers tanks so I don't have to. Anyway, I left an empty at the end of the field. It sat there for probably a week. Anyway, there was an oil drilling crew in that field, they called Dad all freaking out because it was "leaking".

I left it there, and I channel my inner he-man when I shut the valves on those bastards. And naturally, it was just leaking that morning, not the previous weeks. So dad just called the sheriff. And the dumbass drove up to it in the fairly soft field. So the cop took tire tread pictures, measured the wheelbase, all that. Then the cop looked at the tires of the crew at the rig. What do you know, one car had awfully similar looking tread on his tires....

I don't know what happened after that, but I know the guy that owns the rig said that he is no longer with them. Apparently he saw all this going on, and the foreman told him about it. He wanted to talk to them all about their shifts or something, and they just ****ing took off. Morons.

The hell of it is that he would have got away with it if he would have shut the valve all the way off. I'd imagine he caught a pretty good whiff and wanted the **** out.

Over this way a meth head opened valve and filled a 100 quart cooler in his back seat....no joke...in his back seat! Then he slammed the lid and had his methhead girlfriend drive the car back to his house. Sheriffs officer was driving down the road and she passed him...all windows open and her head out the drivers side window....needless to say he pulled her over. By then the 100 quart cooler was about 3/4 empty.

Darwin. Let it happen.

[Dayze]

Originally Posted by notorious

OMG


I just saw the video of the kid and dad.

so i don't have sound on the computer here; what made it so bad; I'm assuming the audio painted an even bigger picture