Abstract
On April 17, 2013, a fire and explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas, USA. The violent detonation killed 15 emergency responders and residents and injured more than 260 people. The U. S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released the report on the cause of this incident. The presence of combustible materials used for construction of the fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate storage facility contributed to the progression and intensity of the fire and resulted in the detonation. This paper describes the incident based on the CSB report.
