My question is WHY would anyone build houses anywhere near a fertilizer factory to begin with?
Another question. Shouldn’t all firefighters KNOW how to put out this type of fire?
And there were safety precautions built in for the plant, of course, now we might hear some violation (OSHA and others could always find something afterwards).
And people lose vigilance and build housing around it for convenience, that's my guess. But we need to know how the fire started in the first place, and why it got out of control so fast.
I pointed this out several times when this first occurred and some were upset. There are legitimate roles for government and this story illustrates that perfectly.
This was a massive failure of proper zoning and regulatory oversight. Period.
I am heartbroken for the firefighters and first responders who rushed to this scene because someone should have known better.
Ammonium Nitrate in any form is not just a great fertilizer, it is an explosive. I think I read that this company generated 2 million dollars in revenue a year. In hindsight, how much cheaper it would have been to move this company far out of town to a safer location with an adequate buffer around the storage? I read the nursing home (133 occupants?) was only 500 feet from ground zero. That is insane. The safety distance for a first responder for a single truck of Ammonium Nitrate is three or more times that distance if it’s on fire on the roadway.
I hope some good comes out of this and other towns and cities will examine what happened with an eye towards preventing a similar disaster in the future. Prayers for this community and those affected.