West Fertilizer Co., West, TX Explosion-15 Dead, Over 200 Wounded

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http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Texas-plant-responders-died-of-trauma-blast-218849091.html
Texas plant responders died of trauma, blast
August 8, 2013



WACO, Texas (AP) -- Autopsy results for emergency responders killed in a fiery Central Texas fertilizer plant explosion have shown all died of blunt force trauma or blast injuries.

Fifteen people died and about 200 were hurt as a result of the April 17 blast at the plant in West. Ten victims were first-responders rushing to the initial blaze.

The Waco Tribune-Herald reported Thursday on autopsy results for 14 of the 15 victims. The other report wasn't immediately available.

At least half of the firefighters were wearing protective gear when their bodies were recovered.

The victims also included a 65-year-old woman discovered at an apartment complex and a 96-year-old nursing home resident also died of injuries sustained in the explosion.

 

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-explosion-victims-killed-by-blunt-force-trauma-autopsies-reveal/article_8ffeed84-9cf0-517c-9d35-63d1eb627c8b.html
West explosion victims killed by blunt force trauma, autopsies reveal
August 8, 2013

 
“Blunt force trauma” or “blast injuries” are cited as the cause of death for all of the volunteer firefighters and West residents killed in the April 17 explosion following a fire at the plant. The autopsies were performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas.
Several suffered burns or “thermal injuries,” and one of the volunteer firefighters had inhaled smoke while combating the flames that engulfed the fertilizer plant, triggering the explosion.
In one of the reports, the medical examiner noted that the blunt force trauma was so extensive, it is unlikely the thermal injuries contributed to the death.
McLennan County Justice of the Peace David Pareya ruled the deaths accidental.
The Tribune-Herald obtained autopsy results for 14 of the 15 victims killed in the blast. The other report was unavailable at press deadline.
The documents outline the grim injuries that struck the victims, including multiple skull and bone fractures, deep lacerations, and exposed or missing organs. Some of the men also had amputated limbs and one 
was decapitated.
At least half of the firefighters still were covered in some of their protective gear — like firefighter coats and jumpsuits, gloves and work boots — when their bodies were recovered.
One of the autopsies noted that a firefighter was wearing a metal necklace with a cross pendant and carrying more than $1,000 in cash that apparently remained intact.
Autopsies also note that three of the volunteer firefighters who rushed to the scene from homes or other locations had blood alcohol levels above 0.08, the legal driving limit in Texas, while blood tests showed another had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his system.
Most of the firefighters’ remains were discovered within hours of the explosion just before 8 p.m., with Dallas firefighter Kenneth “Luckey” Harris Jr. the first to be found in the rubble at 10:25 p.m.
Eight more were found by 
12:30 a.m. April 18. The last explosion victim to be found was 65-year-old Judith Monroe, discovered at 3 p.m. April 18 in an apartment complex, near the fertilizer company, that was destroyed.
A 15th victim, 96-year-old nursing home resident Adolph Lander, died a day and a half after the explosion in a local hospital of a cardiovascular event and injuries sustained in the explosion.
The autopsies do not distinguish whether the blunt force trauma was caused by objects striking the victims as they fought the fire or if the injuries were sustained from the concussion impact of the explosion.
The Center for Disease Control & Prevention states that high-order explosions, including those involving ammonium nitrate, can cause blast injuries from shock wave pressure exuded from the explosion site.
Investigators ultimately concluded that 28 to 34 tons of highly flammable ammonium nitrate in a wooden bin exploded at the plant.
 

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http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Autopsy-results-reveal-alcohol-THC-in-system-of-3-West-firefighters-218940381.html
Autopsy results raise policy questions in West fire response
August 9, 2013

 
West's Mayor Tommy Muska says the firefighters who sacrificed everything didn't hesitate to answer the call for help before the explosion in mid-April that rocked the town of West.

However, on Thursday, News 8 obtained autopsy reports that the mayor said indicate three of the responding firefighters shouldn't have answered the call.
"No, they shouldn't have gone to the fire," Muska said.

The report shows heroic brothers Douglas and Robert Snokhous, of West, had blood-alcohol levels well above the legal limit. Douglas had a blood alcohol level of .12 and Robert .158.

"That's a city policy that you don't get in a fire truck if you were drinking and you don't go to the fire," Muska said.

Abbott firefighter Jerry Chapman had cannabis in his system, according to the autopsy report. It showed THC levels of 45 ng/mL.

"I truly think they're all still heroes and this didn't diminish my opinion of them in the least," Muska said.

The mayor said there's no written code about operating under the influence, but said it's a common understanding among firefighters. The mayor said he expects the fire chief to reiterate the rules to the firefighters.

But, the International Association of Fire Chiefs does have this rule:

"[It] is a "zero-tolerance" standard about the use of alcohol by members of any fire or emergency services agency/organization at any time when they may be called upon to act or respond as a member of those departments."

The mayor said he knew the autopsy reports would come out at some point and urged families of the victims not to read them, sometheing he said he didn't do as well.

"I don't need to read it," he said. "There's nothing in there I need to read and there's nothing that's going to bring those guys back."
 

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/judge-grants-motion-delaying-reed-trial/article_db5d90d7-ade1-5337-931d-53efab4363e6.html
Judge grants motion delaying Reed trial
Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 12:01 am | Updated: 2:31 am, Wed Aug 7, 2013.

A federal judge granted a 
continuance Tuesday in Bryce Reed’s case, pushing back the 
trial date for the former West paramedic charged with possession of materials to make a small pipe bomb.
Reed had been set on U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr.’s plea docket for this week 
before his attorney, Jonathan Sibley, asked for the continuance 
Monday.
Smith granted the motion Tuesday and moved Reed’s trial from Aug. 19 to Sept. 23.
Sibley said Reed never intended to plead guilty and is looking forward to trial.
“We are glad the judge granted the motion so we could have more time to evaluate all the evidence,” Sibley said. “He is back in Waco and looking forward to being able to address the allegations against him and preparing for his day in court, where we get a chance to present his case.”
 
Reed recently was transferred from the private Jack Harwell Detention Center to the McLennan County Jail, where Sibley said he is being kept in a segregation cell because of the high-profile nature of the case.
The 31-year-old spent six weeks in a federal medical facility in Fort Worth under court-ordered evaluation. He returned to the Waco jail last month.
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said Monday that a comprehensive Texas Ranger report on Reed after his arrest in the alleged pipe bomb case contains no evidence linking Reed to the fire and explosion at the fertilizer plant.

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http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-High-School-football-field-returning-to-action-219074301.html
West High School football field returning to action
August 10, 2013

WEST –– David Woodard once played on football field at West High School.
"I still remember every game I played on here. I still remember the scores," said Woodard, who this year, became the head coach of the team and the District's Athletic Director.
Now his football field is best known as the place where as many as 200 of the injured were cared for the night the fertilizer blew up, killing 15. The response tore up the turf and left if it covered in medical waste.  On Friday, West ISD said it would complete it's re-sodding of the field.
“It will be a place of healing," said Woodard.
Back in town, Brian Anderson, who works at the nearby Pizza House Restaurant thinks so too. He played for West.  So did his son, who just graduated.
“It'll be sad. Lots of mixed emotions remembering all the people are aren't there to take part in it," said Anderson.
The surface is grass, at a cost of $250,000 –– far less then the $900,000 originally approved.
The district backed off that number after Congressman Bill Flores said the price tag looked bad at a time when all of the ISD’s campuses need repair and could hurt efforts to get federal aid. 
 

Video at Link

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/cruz-to-speak-at-west-benefit/article_52d0b0f9-8c40-58a2-bf8a-fc30c5f0c601.html
Cruz to speak at West benefit
Posted August 11, 2013, Updated August 12, 2013

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will headline a fundraiser benefiting victims of the West explosion at a McLennan County Republican Club event Aug. 22 at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.
 
Cruz will meet with West officials before the event to bring them up to date on relief efforts for the town, devastated by a fertilizer company explosion April 17.
U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, will also attend and has agreed to underwrite a portion of the expenses for the event.
Other underwriters include state Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-Bryan; District Attorney Abel Reyna; McLennan County Commissioner Will Jones, whose precinct includes West; and the 
Waco-based law firm Naman Howell Smith & Lee, PLLC.
Texas singer-songwriter Chris Low will perform, including the tribute song he wrote about the town of West (“Shaken Not Stirred”) in the days after the explosion. 
A limited number of VIP tickets will be sold for $150 and include a private cocktail reception with Cruz, a professional photograph with the senator and the same benefits as general admission tickets.
Table sponsorships are available for $1,000 and entitle the purchaser to eight VIP tickets, premium seating and recognition during and after the event.
General admission tickets are $50 and also limited. 
Admission includes a buffet dinner, entertainment, cash bar and main program. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. To purchase tickets or sponsor a table, contact the club by e-mail at mcrctx@gmail.com or visit www.mcrctx
.org.
 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a major disaster declaration for West, which means the agency will now reimburse West 75 percent of funds spent to rebuild the city. City leaders hope to fund the other 
25 percent through private-sector donations, volunteer efforts and other donations.

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http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/entertainment_in_waco/songs-for-west-texas-cd-aims-to-help-park-rebuilding/article_853bf300-4901-538f-8949-78e28171b238.html
‘Songs For West, Texas’ CD aims to help park rebuilding
August 11, 2013

 
 Other help, such as the new “Songs For West, Texas” CD, took more time to prepare, but represents another part of the ongoing efforts to support the small town’s recovery.
Sixteen area bands and performers, predominantly in country music, contributed songs and tracks for this project. Some are West-specific in their lyrics, others more general in praise for the courage of first-responders, sadness for the loss of whose who died or respect for a small town pulling together for its own.
John Dempsy’s “Heroes and Angels” leads off the CD and his raw emotion and pain over the West tragedy sets the tone for much of “Songs For West,” Texas” a sincere act of sympathy and respect for those affected by the explosion. Several other songs that surfaced in the days after the blast are included in the CD. I recall Chris Low’s “Shaken Not Stirred,” Rushin Steele’s “How West Was One” and Joel Wood’s “The Comma,” though I’m sure the CD has others that were written in the explosion’s immediate aftermath.
David Doran wrote “Song in the Sky,” which The Midnight Trio performs, and did a lot of the heavy lifting on the compilation in soliciting songs and performers as well as handling the recording’s audio and mastering in his Analog Ears Mastering Facility. Waco musician Tea Aguilar created the CD’s graphics.
Performers on the CD in addition to the previously mentioned songwriters are Casey Kelley, Tea Aguilar, Common Ground, Shane Howard, Jeremy Lynn Woodall with Billy Joe Shaver, Dale Dillard and Jerry Davis, Jameson White, Steve Dansby, M.W.G., Doc Mojo and Travis Kounty.

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http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/entertainment_in_waco/songs-for-west-texas-cd-aims-to-help-park-rebuilding/article_853bf300-4901-538f-8949-78e28171b238.html

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http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/west-pushing-toward-first-day-of-school
West pushes toward first day of school
Debris is being replaced with new gym, classrooms
August 13, 2013


WEST, Texas (KXAN) - The first day of school will mark a new beginning for the West Independent School District.

Aerial images of the damaged middle school and high school were some of the most memorable after the fertilizer plant explosion on April 17, 2013.

Now, less than four months later the debris has been cleared to make way for new portable classrooms.

A construction zone is cornered off with a chain link fence around the area middle school and high school students will share.

Maintenance crews hauled in new desks on a trailer Tuesday and placed them inside a classroom. Across the way, construction crews worked on a temporary gymnasium the district is calling the "Tro-Dome", short for Trojan Dome, named after their mascot.
 
Employees have been busy sorting boxes full of donated backpacks, pencils, pens, rulers, colored chalk, highlighters, paper, scissors and tape -- just to name a few things -- and distributing them to classrooms.

All of the items came pouring in by the truckload after the explosion. One of the first deliveries came from a Central Texas school district that knows tragedy first hand.

"One of the first donations we got was from Bastrop ISD and it was hand sanitizer and disinfectant," said Hungate.

Inside the one campus untouched by the blast, West Elementary, is a classroom packed with donated backpacks that are being organized by grade.

Down the hall fourth grade Language Arts teacher Lois Leggett is getting her room ready. She used teach on the Intermediate campus until the explosion. Next to her desk is a brick from the site with the date of the tragedy written across the front in permanent marker. She also added the name of every employee.

"It will stay right here on the shelf," said Leggett. "It's important for me to remember everyone that was there because some people had to move on because there wasn’t really a place for them anymore after the school was destroyed."

With less than two weeks to go until the first day of school, West ISD has no doubt they will be ready to go.

"It's going to be a photo finish, but absolutely it can happen and we are completely dedicated to that goal," said Hungate

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http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/8613/1/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/
A bittersweet back-to-school
Four months after the deadly explosion, West rebuilds in time to get back to school.


New temporary gym called the Tro-Dome for the West High School Trojans.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)


New temporary gym called the Tro-Dome for the West High School Trojans.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)

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http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/8613/168129/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/
A bittersweet back-to-school
Four months after the deadly explosion, West rebuilds in time to get back to school.


A sign near campus offers an upbeat message.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)


Desks for the new portable building.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)

More photos at link. 

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http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130817-west-firefighters-singular-mission-was-protecting-town.ece
West firefighters’ singular mission was protecting town
Published August 17, 2013, Updated August 18, 2013

 

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http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130817-west-firefighters-singular-mission-was-protecting-town.ece
West firefighters’ singular mission was protecting town

Slide show with six images.

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http://blog.mysanantonio.com/texas-politics/2013/08/lawmakers-schedule-aug-26-hearing-on-west-explosion/
Lawmakers schedule Aug. 26 hearing on West explosion
August 19, 2013

 

Officials with the Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Department of State Health Service and Texas Ag Industries Association are scheduled to speak.

The House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee scheduled the hearing Monday. It’s set to begin at 10 a.m. on Aug. 26 and is billed as a follow-up to legislative hearings held in May and June and on the explosion.

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http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Ex-West-paramedic-freed-pending-pipe-bomb-trial-4754778.php?cmpid=hpts
Ex-West paramedic freed pending pipe bomb trial
August 22, 2013

WACO — A former Central Texas paramedic has been released on bond pending trial on a federal charge that he possessed pipe bomb materials.

A federal magistrate set a $25,000 bond on Thursday for Bryce Ashley Reed. The 31-year-old former West paramedic's trial is set for Sept. 23 in federal court in Waco.

Reed was arrested shortly after an April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West that killed 15 people, injured hundreds and devastated much of the small town near Waco. McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna told the Waco Tribune-Herald two weeks ago, however, that Texas Rangers have turned up no evidence linking Reed to the plant fire and explosion.
 

Slide show with 10 images.

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http://www.kcentv.com/story/23234615/bryce-reed-allowed-to-bond-out-after-detention-hearing
Bryce Reed Allowed to Bond Out After Detention Hearing
August 22, 2013

(KCEN) –  Former West paramedic Bryce Reed was released on a $25,000 bond on Thursday after a Federal U. S. Magistrate ordered  he could be released under certain conditions and under the supervision of his mother.

Reed was indicted by a Grand Jury back in May for possession of an unregistered destructive device, after pipe bomb making materials were found and were said to be his.  The detention hearing on Thursday took about 45 minutes with a special ATF agent and Reed's mother taking the witness stand.

ATF agent Daniel Jones testified and gave a detailed timeline of the events leading up to Reed's arrest. He says on April 26th during a funeral service for Cyrus Reed, one of the first responders who was killed in the plant explosion, Bryce Reed's wife made comments that both Cyrus and Bryce "liked to use explosives and blow things up in the back yard".

That same day, Jones says Reed then contacted two friends to remove a few items from his home and bring them to the hotel he was staying at. The box of items was then given to another friend to put away.  He says Reed "seemed relieved when the items were taken from his home".

Jones testified on May 7th the friend became curious and looked inside the box and found two ammo cans filled with a pipe, chemicals, fuses, and other bomb making materials. That friend then called several other people, who then called the McLennan County bomb squad. The ATF was then contacted.

ATF agents then put a wire on the friend who met with Reed. During that meeting the friend told Reed agents had the materials. Reed was quoted as saying "Oh [explicative], did they take everything? Oh [explicative]… my prints are all over it".

Reed was then arrested after a search warrant. A computer was also seized and agent says the laptop had documents containing instructions on how to make bombs.

The federal prosecutors wanted the magistrate to deny Reed's release before the trial, saying he was a danger to the community and his charges fell under a crime of violence for having destructive devices. Prosecutors also said Reed was obstructing justice because he was trying to hide the materials through friends, one of whom was a convicted felon.
 

The magistrate took all the testimony and the pretrial recommendation to release Reed to his mother, under consideration and ruled Reed could be released on Thursday.

Federal prosecutors never mentioned the allegations Reed could be connected to the plant explosion. "Bryce had nothing to do with that. At this time we are ready to put that connection to bed because it's not existent," Sibley said.

Reed's trial on the possession of destructive device charge is expected to begin on September 23rd.

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http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Ex-West-Paramedic-Jailed-On-Explosives-Charge-Released-220726991.html
Ex-West Paramedic Jailed On Explosives Charge Released
August 22, 2013


Bryce Ashley Reed leaving the McLennan County Jail Thursday evening. (Photo by Matt Howerton)

WACO (August 22, 2013)--Bryce Ashley Reed, the former paramedic who was accused of possessing bomb-making material in the aftermath of deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West, was released to the custody of his mother and stepfather after a federal hearing Thursday afternoon in Waco.

Reed left the McLennan County Jail at around 6 p.m. Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske ordered his release on a $25,000 unsecured bond, but set some conditions.

Reed must be under the constant supervision of either his mother or stepfather, cannot use drugs or alcohol and may not have contact with any potential witnesses in the case.

His mother is allowed to administer prescription medication to him.

“He’ll get out without putting money down at this point because he’s not a risk of flight and I don’t think anybody’s alleged that he...is somebody who’s not going to show back up to court,” Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley said.

Reed was indicted on May 14 by a federal grand jury in Waco for possession of a destructive device.

He was never linked to the April 17 explosion that killed 15, injured hundreds and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and buildings.
 
More...

Video at Link

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http://www.wfaa.com/community/Michigan-fire-department-comes-to-the-aid-of-small-Texas-town-220971461.html
Michigan fire department comes to the aid of small Texas town
August 24, 2013

When a fertilizer depot in West, Texas caught fire and exploded earlier this year, the impact in nearby Abbott, Texas was pretty tremendous, too.
"The ground shook on April 17th. It shook all of us," said Abbott Mayor Anthony Pustejovsky.
Abbott didn’t hesitate to help its neighbors in West. "If something happens to West, it happens to Abbott and vice-versa, so it was a very natural thing for everyone to get together and respond," the mayor said.
The small fire department in Abbott lost two firemen and a fire engine in that blast. But on Saturday morning the department that sacrificed so much received a remarkable gesture of mutual aid.
The president of the Abbott Volunteer Fire Department, Doreen Strickland, was overwhelmed that firefighters came all the way from Ada Township in Michigan to drop off one of their perfectly good fire trucks that was being retired.
"To this department it's hard to say... words just can’t express what everyone is going through today," she said.
Ada Township firefighter Lt. David Murray was aboard the engine as it slowly drove into Abbott.
"You make that last curve and you see the streets lined with people... you know it hits you deep in your heart," he said. "You know they are the same as we are. I’m sure if we needed something, they would help us."
In addition to the much-needed equipment, the Michigan firefighters also brought a $10,000 cash donation — an amount almost equal to the Abbott Fire Department’s entire annual budget.
And punctuating the big deliveries was a small touch that meant just as much — the names of the Abbott firefighters who perished are inscribed on the side of the donated truck.
 

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http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Private-Donations-For-West-May-Finally-Be-Released-221116921.html
Private Donations For West May Finally Be Released
August 25, 2013

WEST (August 25, 2013) -- Nearly $4 million dollars in private donations for the City of West and its citizens may be handed over to the West Long Term Recovery Center soon.

Charles Matthews, the Long Term Recovery Center’s President, told News 10 Sunday that the non-profit is ready to start the process of receiving and dispersing funds.

The estimated $4 million in donations have sat idle since the West explosion. The funds have remained harbored and untouched at the town’s two banks and the Waco Foundation.

City leaders set up the Long Term Recovery Center so the money could eventually be funneled there.

But obtaining a 501(c)3 designation, and creating a model for how the money was to be dispersed caused delays.

"Those organizations who have the funds did what they should have done,” Matthews said.

“They were to hold onto the funds until we were able to show them we understood what was needed to be done correctly and lawfully."

The Long Term Recovery Center obtained their 501(c)3 designation in July, but a method for dispersing current and future donations was yet to be determined.

Matthews calls that a final puzzle piece they now have.

"We've written a set of procedures and presented them to the Waco Foundation and the banks in town," Matthews said.

It will now be up to the Waco Foundation and the two banks in town to hand over the money.

The Waco Foundation is expected to propose the transfer of their funds to their financial committee on Tuesday night.

According to Matthews, if funds are released to the Long Term Recovery Center, residents will be required to fill out paperwork for aid, and an unmet needs committee will then work with them on their claim.

Matthews also said that many other charitable organizations haven’t donated money because a process wasn’t in place to receive and disperse funds.
 

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http://www.kvue.com/news/state/Students-in-West-coming-home-for-new-school-year-221153381.html
Students in West coming home for new school year
August 26, 2013

EST, Texas (AP) -- Students displaced after a deadly fertilizer plant explosion earlier this year damaged their Central Texas town's campuses are coming home for the start of the new school year.

When classes resume on Monday, students in the town of West will be back in familiar surroundings as well as in some temporary structures.

Thanks to an ongoing restoration plan, students in grades pre-K through 5 will attend classes at West Elementary School, which received minimal damage. Students in grades 6 through 12 will be housed in temporary portables located at the existing West Middle School, which will be demolished. The damaged high school is still being evaluated.

The rebuilding of West's schools could take several years.