WEST, Texas (AP) — Federal investigators say they believe a fire that caused the fatal explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant was intentionally set, but that no arrests have been made.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released a statement Wednesday saying the fire had been ruled “incendiary,” or intentionally set.
The agency said the conclusion was made after more than 400 interviews, a fire-scene examination, a review of witness photos, videos and observations, along with “extensive scientific testing” at an ATF fire research laboratory.
The agency says “all viable accidental and natural fire scenarios were hypothesized, tested and eliminated.”
The fire caused ammonium nitrate to ignite, triggering a massive explosion that killed 15 people, injured hundreds and left part of the small town in ruins.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board and the state fire marshal’s office previously issued reports faulting the storage of the fertilizer, emergency response and other factors contributing to a blast, which registered as an earthquake of magnitude 2.1.
But authorities hadn’t previously indicated what specifically caused the fire.
The mother of a volunteer firefighter who died in the massive 2013 plant explosion in West, Texas, says the state has taken steps to prevent a similar incident from happening again. But she believes something similar could occur elsewhere.
Sanders, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Palos Hills, said Wednesday that regulations aren’t uniform from state and state. She says federal regulations are needed to prevent such catastrophic events, whether they’re accidental or intentional.
After the blast, Texas adopted regulations that included ensuring ammonium nitrate be kept separate from combustible material.
