State emergency officials say the West Fertilizer plant where an explosion killed 14 people was under no obligation to have an evacuation plan. A Homeland Security Hearing also revealed that other North Texas Counties store ammonium nitrate, a substance that was kept at the blast site.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told lawmakers there are more than 1,000 facilities statewide that store it in some capacity
“Eighty-six ammonium nitrate only companies, 96 ammonium nitrate only facilities," McCraw says. "The top three counties with ammonium nitrate facilities are Comanche which has five, Cook and Navarro Counties have four, each, and Cherokee, Grimes, Henderson and Parker each have three.”
Investigators say they still don't know what caused the massive explosion in West. A spokesperson with the Texas Fire Marshal's office said today that investigators hope to complete their onsite probe by May 10.