Just before 8:00 pm last night, a fire at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, a small town just outside of Waco, led to a massive explosion that, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, had a seismic magnitude of 2.1. The explosion caused severe damage to buildings within a 5 block radius of the explosion, causing numerous home fires and nearly leveling some buildings.
Officials are unsure of the full extent of the damage right now from the event or the number of people injured by the explosion, but over 160 people have been taken to hospitals for medical treatment, and officials with the Waco police department are stating that anywhere between 5 and 15 people may have been killed. As of now, officials are treating the area around the plant as a crime scene while they look for more information on what caused the blast.
Our thoughts are with the residents of West, Texas, the victims of this tragedy, and their loved ones.