7:29 pm April 17, 2012. Firefighters respond to fire.
7:53 pm “There has been an explosion”.
Whatever happened, the fire got very big, very quick.
The explosion followed 24 minutes later.
A very rough transcript of the fire scanners.
Just from the first report of fire to the explosion.
8:00 pm
Anhydrous tanks are reported full and still a hazard after the explosion.
• 7:16 PM - 7:47 PM CST
http://areg.radioreference.com/20130417/2/201304171916-537771-2663.mp3
• 7:46 PM - 8:17 PM CST - (Blast occurs at the 4:35 minute mark)
http://areg.radioreference.com/20130417/4/201304171946-675211-2663.mp3
• 8:17 PM - 8:46 PM CST
http://areg.radioreference.com/20130417/4/201304172016-611642-2663.mp3
• 8:46 PM - 9:16 PM CST
http://areg.radioreference.com/20130417/1/201304172046-170795-2663.mp3
• 9:15 PM - 9:46 PM CST
http://areg.radioreference.com/20130417/2/201304172116-364674-2663.mp3
7:16 to 7:47 (30:15)
http://areg.radioreference.com/20130417/2/201304171916-537771-2663.mp3
(7:29 is 13 minutes in)
16:22 86 Enroute
16:27 Dispatch: 19:33
16:54 201 Enroute to station
17:00 Dispatch: Can you take this phone message off of unclear
17:05 Dispatch: 1934
17:10 ??? Female: Fire ? PD 201 Involved That one of the mills is on fire
17:18 ???: unclear?
Male: Can you tell me if the Delta inn on 1320 Barracks circle is in belmeat?
17:33 Dispatch: 19:34
17:39 Fire to West 209
17:42 West209: Go Ahead
17:46: Fire: Have you made it over their yet?
17:48 West209: I am actually the one that called it in. There is heavy smoke coming out of one of the buildings behind the fertilizer one of the grains here
17:58 Fire: Ten-Four
18:22 ???: Can you look up the emergency contact number for West Fertilizer and see if I can get in touch with the owner.
18:27 Dispatch: I’ll look into it and see what I can find out
18:34 Lady: Dog is constantly making noise and I am not sure if he has any food or water
18:36 Dispatch: I’ll look into it
18:42 ???: Transporting one to Loraina(?) Five times one
18:48 Dispatch: Did you want us to call or are you going to call
19:29 Dispatch: First one I have a name for is [audible but redacted] (repeat)
Then I have a first name [audible but redacted] (repeat)
20:04 ???: (Faint) Can you advice fire that flames are coming out the ? ?.
20:13 Dispatch: 10-4 West 209 be advised he now can see flames coming out
20:34 ???: Roger, showing in one enroute
20:34 Dispatch: I have ya’ll enroute
20:45 Dispatch: Dispatch to 423
20:50 ???: Go Ahead I’ll take Highway 6 person on overpass.
20:57 ???: Ten-Four
20:57 ?: Jim?
21:00 ?: That’s a ?
21:08 ?: 917 (audible redacted name)
21:11 ?: 419 to 38
21:14 Dispatch: Dispatch to ? 423
21:15 ?: Go Ahead
21:17 Dispatch: We have a phone message when you are ready ? ?
21:26 ?: alright?
21:28 Dispatch: Going to be calling [audible but redacted] first name last name [audible but redacted]. Her phone number is [audible but redacted] (repeated)
21:36 ?: ?
21:42 ?: Your safe
21:45 ?: Check the ?
21:52 Dispatch: Ten-four 19:39
21:59 ?: Who is Sam ????
22:07 Dispatch: I am sorry, 830 Sam what was the rest of it
22:10 ?: 830 Sam 545
22:25 ?: One of your firefighters already on the scene. I am going to head towards the park and evacuate the park. A lot of people over there.
22:29 ?: (sirens in background) appreciate it, you can show us on scene, we have flames, ah, F8 to F9, need to go ahead and hook to a hydrant.
22:40 ?: What ? if we can have PD to make sure nobody runs those hoses over.
22:48 ?: 209 can you help with traffic, make sure nobody runs over our hoses.
23:00 209: Ten-Four, if you can get trucks to block the road by the high school, I can block the North end
23:13 Dispatch: You are the only PD unit on right now, are you going to be able to contain everything?
23:25 ?: West Fire to SO?
23:37 ?: What Up
23:42 ?: Having them rolling up here with another engine.
23:50 ?: Who else did you need?
23:52 ? Male: Go ahead ? with Hill County. and have him come up we are fully involved, big time.
24:00 ? Female: Ten-Four
24:08 ? Male: 23
24:31 ? Male: Have have a small on fire ?
24:38 ? Male: Received into ?
24:41 ? Female dispatch: I don’t have another unit to block off the south end now
25:30 ?: unclear
25:37 ? Male: 2320
25:39 ? Male: something about a something please
25:45 ?: Unclear ?:36
25:49 ?: Unclear
26:15 ? Male: ? to dispatch. One of the fire fighters advised they need a ladder truck if you can ? them out
26:22 ? Female: 419:33?
27:20 ? Male: at ??? ??? road
27:36 ? Female: ? about stepping out of it all
27:53 ? Male: ?01 ??? no report. And I’ll take that on ?
28:01 ? Female: 1?? was that your 20 on the suspect?
28:25 ? Fire: ? Fire to dispatch
28:30 Dispatch: What ?
28:33 ? Male: It was 3103
28:35 Dispatch: Ten-Four
28:39 (morse beeps)
28:41 ?: unclear
29:26 ? Male: 2230
29:32 ? Male: All ? that report ? ?
29:30 ? Male: ? we have a ? i
-——— Next tape 7:46 to 8:17
http://areg.radioreference.com/20130417/4/201304171946-675211-2663.mp3
Overlap with earlier tape.
00:26 ?: ? am good
00:35 Fire: Yes, send him down, I’ll get ? on the road.
00:47 PD Male: Ten Four, I’ll send him to the first red truck with the flashers on.
00:59 ?: ?? Fire to West Fire.
1:20 Dispatch: ? ?? is trying to get you on this channel.
1:25 ?: ??? go ahead
1:26 ?: ???
1;38 ?: Units 10-8, we have checked ? unable to locate
1:41 ?: Ten-Four ???
1:43 ?: ??? ??? 5858 ??? ?? 5858
2:04 Dispatch: 55858 July 2012 2001 Nissan to allendale road 31017 ?
2:13 ? Male: 10-4 Do we have a ???
2:23 ? Dispatch: ??? trying to get a hold of you, apparently they do not have a ladder truck.
2:26 ? Female: we do think I might?
2:39 ? Female: ? 99 out of ??
2:44 ? Male: Unclear
2:49
2:50 ? Male: I am on the line with [audible but redacted] right now, they are trying to get hold of him. They are talking to him on the radio, not able to get hold of him here.
3:01 ? Male: 3 ?
3:07 ? Male: 328
3:18 ? Male: I’ll ? at 84 ? ?? I’ll be around
3:22 ? Male: 10-4. I’ll try to make contact by phone. ??
3;24 ? Male: ?
3:38 ? Female: You are not ? one of you just 21’d me.
3:55 ? Female: I’m sorry, I was still on ? are you still on ?
4:01 ? Male: 10-4
4:01 ? Female: Okay 10-4
4:03 ? Male: ? are ya’ll able to make contact with him or dispatch is they are not able to get any of their traffic.
4:18 ? Female: ? with ? to injury out of mso
4:22 ? Male: County dispatch advises that their traffic is unreadable and they are not able to get their response
4:35 ? Male: Received, we are aware of it. We are ? on a ?
4:45 ? Male: We need every ambulance we can get this way. A bomb just went off inside. We have a lot of firemen down.
4:56 ? Female: 10-4 What
5:02 ? Male: We need ?. We had a bomb go off in here.
5:09 ? Female: 10-4
5:15 ? Female: Enroute to you
5:18 ? Male: Go ahead
5:19 ? Female: I got West fire out on a fire at West Fertilizer Plant, they just advised that something exploded there and they have firefighters down. Can I send anybody to assist, we do have EMS enroute.
5:34 ? Male: 10-4
5:31 ? Female: 10-35
5:44 ? Male: Show me in front of 700 block
...
{lots more units setup and responding}
...
13:57 ? Male: Everybody needs to get away from there. Back all trucks away from the ? plant. Everybody needs to back of with all the inverter? tanks. Everybody needs to get away.
14:02 ? Male: 3102, they need to load up and get out of there right now. We still have anhydrous (ammonia) tanks filled there.
...
14:37 Same Male: ? to Lakeview? Go ahead and stay enroute, but stay in background until all this clears up. We do have a lot of anhydrous tanks that are filled over here, they are full. So if you can go ahead and stay enroute.
...