News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Firefighters Were Unprepared For West Explosion, State Report Concludes

BJ Austin
/
KERA News
The April 2013 blast at West Fertilizer Co. killed 15 people, including 12 men who were trying to stop the initial fire. The blast injured more than 200 people and leveled homes and schools.

The firefighters who tried in vain to stop the burning West fertilizer plant from exploding weren't prepared for the dangers of the blaze, which was too big for them to fight, state investigators said in a new report.

The April 2013 blast at West Fertilizer Co. killed 15 people, including 12 men who were trying to stop the initial fire that investigators believe caused the detonation of stores of ammonium nitrate.

The Texas State Fire Marshal's Office presented the findings of its year-long investigation in a report Thursday. The report says the firefighters at the plant are not to blame, but were victims of a "systemic deficiency in ... training and preparation."

The explosion injured more than 200 people and leveled homes and schools.

"The strategy and tactics utilized by the West Volunteer Fire Department were not appropriate for the rapidly developing and extremely volatile situation, and exposed the firefighters to extreme risks," the report said.

Investigators have concluded that while firefighters pouring water did not cause the explosion, they were trying to stop a blaze "significantly beyond the extinguishment phase."

The report says Texas should adopt training standards for volunteer firefighters and allow all counties to enact a fire code, which state law currently prohibits.

Local firefighters and agencies need to establish plans for dealing with large-scale commercial fires and hazardous materials such as ammonium nitrate, a common ingredient in fertilizer that is sold all over Texas.

The report also calls for a mandatory retrofitting of buildings that store ammonium nitrate to add sprinklers, which West Fertilizer Co. did not have.

Fire Marshal Chris Connealy introduced the report to West residents at a closed-door meeting Thursday night.

"It's very hard because my husband walked out of the door for a fire calls and never came back," said Carmen Bridges, the widow of firefighter Morris Bridges. "And it could have been prevented."

Speaking after the meeting, Bridges said she found some closure in hearing the fire marshal's findings and hoped they would help prevent a future incident.

"Everybody's going to learn something from this," she said.

KUT, Austin's public radio station, has more details.

Here's the report from the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office:

Investigation Regarding The West Explosion -- Texas State Fire Marshal's Office