Arson not ruled out in fire that caused West, Texas, blast

The cause of a fire that triggered a massive explosion at a West, Texas fertiliser plant has been ruled undetermined, and investigators have not eliminated the possibility that the fire was set intentionally, state and federal officials said on Thursday.

Robert Champion, a special agent in charge at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said that while authorities could not rule out arson, they also could not eliminate the plant’s electrical system or a golf cart at the plant as potential causes.

The West Fertilizer Co facility, which supplied fertiliser to area farmers, exploded on April 17 about 20 minutes after a fire was reported at the plant. The blast - actually, what officials described Thursday as a pair of blasts separated by milliseconds, - killed 14 people and badly damaged a residential area including an apartment building, nursing home and school.

The investigation, which cost the ATF more than US$1 million, involved pursuing 280 leads, interviewing 500 people, and sifting through 300,000 pounds of corn by hand to collect evidence, Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said.

“It’s like taking a large puzzle, putting it on the coffee table and trying to put the pieces back together, but you don’t know if the pieces are all there to begin with,” Kistner said.

The scene investigation is complete, but the overall probe into the fire is continuing, State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy said. The fire marshal’s office is also investigating the deaths of the first responders.