Texas Fertilizer Blast Probe Can’t Pinpoint Fire’s Cause

The investigation of a fire and explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant that killed 14 people hasn’t pinpointed the cause, which may include a faulty golf cart, the facility’s electrical system or an intentional act.

The probe is continuing, with none of the three possible causes ruled out, Robert Champion, an official with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said at a news conference yesterday in West, Texas.

Along with the deaths more than 200 people were injured April 17 at the Adair Grain Inc. fertilizer plant in West, near Waco. The fire and ensuing blast, at a facility that stored explosive ammonium nitrate fertilizer, was the nation’s worst industrial accident since 2010. The explosion generated a 2.1-degree earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and damaged structures in a 37-block area.

“The investigation at the scene is complete,” said Chris Connealy, state fire marshal, one of 30 agencies investigating the fire and explosion. “The investigation will remain open.”

Investigators, who spent more than $1 million and 20,000 personnel hours sifting through the site, determined that the fire began in a building used to store fertilizer and seed. Pressure and heat from the fire on ammonium nitrate, some of which was stored in wooden bins, triggered two explosions about 30 minutes after the blaze began, officials said.

Narrowed Cause

Authorities said they had narrowed the origin of the fire to three possible causes: one of two electrical systems, a golf cart in the building and arson. A 120-volt electrical system in the plant couldn’t be ruled out, though officials did eliminate a separate 480-volt system. The golf cart could have triggered a fire from a malfunctioning battery, investigators said.

Officials also said they didn’t have enough evidence to rule out arson.

“We have not ruled out an intentionally set fire,” said Brian Hoback, an ATF supervisor. “There is an on-going criminal investigation.”

Officials said the amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the plant was about 150 tons, much less than the 270 tons that was reported stored there in the plant’s federal filings.

The fertilizer plant was last inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a unit of the Labor Department, in 1985. The risk plan filed with government regulators listed no flammable chemicals.

The plant’s risk management report filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t list any potential airborne hazards, according to a copy obtained by Bloomberg News. The EPA fined West Fertilizer $2,300 in 2006, in part because it was two years late in filing the plan.

President Barack Obama on April 25 in Waco led the area in memorializing emergency workers and others killed in the fire and explosion.