58: West Fertilizer Company

In the early hours of the evening on the 17th of April, 2013 in the small city of West, Texas...smoke was seen emanating from the West Fertilizer Company building. In 20 minutes there was a massive explosion that levelled the facility and its surroundings, killing 15 people and injuring hundreds more. How this came to be, represented a failure of regulations, planning and grandfathering on every level.
With John Chidgey.

Related Episodes:

• Causality Episode 44: Warehouse 12

Formal Reports:

• Preliminary Findings Chemical Safety Board (PDF)
• Final Chemical Safety Board Report (PDF)
• West Fertilizer Explosion and Fire
• CSB releases final report on West, TX blast

News Releases and Articles:

• Fire that led to Texas fertilizer-plant explosion was deliberately set
• West Texas Plant Explosion

Regulations:

• Code of Practice: Safe storage of Solid Ammonium Nitrate (PDF)

General Information:

• West Fertilizer Company Explosion
• West, Texas
• Polyolefin
• Asphalt Shingle
• Ammonium nitrate | H3N.HNO3 | CID 22985 - PubChem
• This Month in Fire History: April 2024
• City of West to Receive $10.4 Million in Lawsuit Settlement

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.