Investigators fault community planning in deadly 2013 Texas explosion

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

(Reuters) - An explosion at the West Fertilizer Co of West, Texas on April 17, 2013 that killed 15 people and damaged 150 buildings likely happened because the owner of the fertilizer storage facility kept combustible material near a 30-ton pile of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer also used to make explosives, according to a report released by the federal Chemical Safety Board on Monday.

The blast was especially deadly because the first responders who gathered to fight a fire at the at the company had not trained for an emergency at the facility and likely did not know the ammonium nitrate could explode, the report said. Twelve of the 15 killed were firefighters and other first responders.

The board’s investigators also faulted community planning that allowed the town to grow up around the facility, exacerbating the damage.

The blast destroyed a high school, an apartment complex and a nursing home.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/investigators-fault-community-planning-deadly-2013-texas-explosion-222405387--finance.html

[UpInArms]

1. Zoning and regulations???

Say it isn't so!!!!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

6. Libertarians call for elimination of zoning,

Which simply shows once more why libertarianism is crap.

[safeinOhio]

2. Make that community lack of planning.

[Human101948]

7. Apparently it was convenient for the locals who were cooking meth...

According to an open records request by Reuters, the plant had a long history of minor thefts, presumably by people wanting to use anhydrous ammonia to make methamphetamine. The facility lacked burglar alarms or even a fenced perimeter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Fertilizer_Company_explosion

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Tis sad they lost so many firemen and other important people.

Tho I find it hard to think they did not know ammonium nitrate could explode--it is a bomb ingredient, is it not?

[exboyfil]

4. At the time I researched other ammonium nitrate

facilities, and there is a huge warehouse/transportation facility in Rock Island, IL. A daycare was within 1/2 mile of the facility if I remember correctly. Also schools, apartments, houses etc.

The interesting thing is that I posted this on Facebook at the time, and it has disappeared from my timeline. I am not a sophisticated Facebook user, but I have to wonder if it was purged by some entity.

http://qctimes.com/news/local/ask-the-times/new-fertilizer-facility-towers-over-rock-island-river/article_c81c86fc-27ea-5562-b06b-a0d4e13c09fa.html

[jmowreader]

5. I wonder...does that AN warehouse have anything to do with the Arsenal also in Rock Island?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Island_Arsenal

The Rock Island Arsenal comprises 946 acres (383 ha), located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. The island was originally established as a government site in 1816, with the building of Fort Armstrong. It is now the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the United States.[3] It has manufactured military equipment and ordnance since the 1880s. In 1919–20 one hundred of the Anglo-American or Liberty Mark VIII tanks were manufactured, although too late for World War I. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. I'd title that "Investigators fault business owner..."; Reuters whitewashed the headline

It was Donald Adair who owned the facility that blew up, and kept the explosive substances near the combustible material. The firefighters would have been killed if the town hadn't been near - they would have turned up to fight the fire with or without a town there. And it's his fault they didn't know he'd been so lax with storage.

Here's the report: https://app.box.com/s/rjv7aphsoyuke381ysjj81jkbeemp696

It blames a bad site design (no fire detection or sprinkler system either), OSHA, the business's insurers (a previous insurer had stopped coverage, because the owner didn't carry out the safety measures they wanted), no requirement for the fire dept to train to handle an incident, and then, yes, community planning for allowing residential building near the site.

[blackspade]

9. How many industrial facilities are surrounded by residential areas in the US?

Thousands.
To blame this on 'community planning' is a crock of shit considering land use policies dating back to the late 1800s specifically designed residential communities in close conjunction with industrial facilities.