I’m by no means an expert in such matters, but I have to wonder why, when the plant was fully engulfed in flames by the time the local fire department got there, why they decided to battle the fire rather than focusing all their efforts on evacuating the area?
I also read something that said that spraying water on the fire might have actually contributed to the explosion. I get that firefighters will spay water on tanks to keep them cool and prevent an explosion but from what I understand the fire was already so hot and intense, that spraying water on it was rather futile as they couldn’t even get close enough to spray water on the tanks holding the ammonium nitrate. There have been some questions raised as to the level of training in dealing with HAZMAT situations the members of the volunteer fire department had.
I also have to question the intelligence of people close to the fire, including the guy in the car with his daughter who was videoing it with his cell phone and others in the neighborhood who stayed around to watch the fire when the place went BOOM!
You would think that people living in that area might have been more aware that a fire at a fertilizer plant was not something to stand around and watch but something to get as far away from as quickly as possible.
My husband also said that spraying water on the fire contributed to the explosion.
Just waiting for a big "ethanol" event.
An ammonium nitrate fire is difficult to fight.
Fire retardants that focus on excluding oxygen have no effect as the nitrate part of the molecule, which consists of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms, provides all the necessary oxygen.
The only effective control is to remove the heat, which causes the explosive reaction, by flooding the area with water.
But it’s unknown if the firefighters who responded to the initial fire were even able to commence a water flood before the explosion, which happened minutes after they arrived.
Fire fighting is further complicated by the presence of other hazardous chemicals used to make the fertiliser, principally anhydrous ammonia (liquefied ammonia gas) and nitric acid.
The firefighters on the scene quickly assessed that they could not put out the fire, they then immediately switched to warning and evacuating nearby residents.
It's not the job of the fire department to evacuate folks. THAT'S the job of the police or emergency folks in the area. why THEY didn't do it is unclear; maybe they didn't realize the possibility of such an enormous explosion.
Maybe that father who was filming thought he was at a 'safe distance', not understanding the nature of what exactly was on fire. Stupid, in retrospect, but as they say, hindsight is always 20/20.
I’m by no means an expert in such matters, but I have to wonder why, when the plant was fully engulfed in flames by the time the local fire department got there, why they decided to battle the fire rather than focusing all their efforts on evacuating the area?
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Good question but timelines indicate that things happened rapidly so who knows what actually happened at what time.
For what it’s worth:
Fire at 7:30 pm
Explosion at 7:53 pm
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Explosion-Rocks-Fertilizer-Plant-During-Fire-203508011.html
Volunteer firemen from the West Fire Department initially responded to a fire at 7:30 p.m. at West Fertilizer Company. Six volunteer firemen responded to the fire, recognized the potential for an explosion and began evacuating nearby homes and businesses, Waco police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said.
At about 7:53 p.m., the explosion ripped through the plant.
Time line of events:
I think people were falsely assured that such an explosion could never occur at the plant. Look at where the plant is located, near where people work, live and go to school.