Criminal Investigation Launched into Texas Fertilizer Explosion
Texas law enforcement officials said on May 10 that they are beginning a criminal investigation into the fertilizer plant fire and explosion that occurred on April 17 in West, Texas.
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven McCraw announced the Texas Rangers would join McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara in investigating possible criminal activity related to the event.
“This disaster has severely impacted the community of West, and we want to ensure that no stone goes unturned and that all the facts related to this incident are uncovered,” Director McCraw said.
Texas paramedic Bryce Reed also was arrested on May 10, on charges of possessing bomb-making material, but DPS officials did not say whether the criminal investigation was related to Reed’s arrest. Reed was a member of the West Emergency Medical Services unit at the time of the fire and explosion. Two days after the explosion he was “let go” from West EMS for unknown reasons, according to The Associated Press.
In a prepared statement, Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said Reed “had no involvement whatsoever in the explosion” and will plead not guilty to the explosives charge.
The criminal complaint against Reed, filed in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas states that as of April 26, Reed was in possession of a firearm, “namely: a destructive device, which firearm was not registered to him” on a federal registry.
The West Fertilizer Co. facility explosion resulted in the deaths of 14 people, most of whom were volunteer emergency responders, and an estimated $100 million in damage to the surrounding area. More than 200 others were injured from the blast. The AP reported that the facility carried only $1 million in liability coverage from United States Fire Insurance Co. of Morristown, N.J.
At least six lawsuits have been filed against West Fertilizer and its owners, Adair Grain Inc.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) said that both SMFO and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators have maintained from the outset that an intentional act or a criminal act could not be eliminated, and that at no time was the investigation limited to an industrial accident.
Around 250 leads have been developed and more than 400 people interviewed so far, the SFMO said.
The DPS Division of Emergency Management officials also are working with local, state and federal partners to assess the damages and facilitate recovery assistance to the victims in the community.
Causes Still Unknown
The SFMO has said the fire that triggered the explosion started in the fertilizer and seed building, and that ammonium nitrate was detonated in the explosion.
While the exact cause of the fire was unknown at press time, the SFMO said a number of causes have been eliminated as triggers for the initial fire, including: weather; natural; anhydrous ammonium; the railcar containing ammonium nitrate; and a fire within the ammonium nitrate bin. Additionally, water used during firefighting activities did not contribute to the cause of the explosion, the SFMO said.