A t 7:51 ?.?. on 17 April 2013, an explosion rocked the town of West, Texas, when fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate stored at the West Fertilizer Company blew up with the explosive force of 12.5 tons of TNT. 1 Fifteen people died, and 260 were injured. More than 150 offsite buildings were destroyed by the blast and subsequent fire, among them a middle school, a high school, a nursing home, and an apartment complex. An investigation by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) concluded that if the explosion had occurred during the day, casualties likely would have been much higher and would have included a significant number of children. 1 展开▼
