Page 686 - Rescue Workers News Today

Rescue workers are continuing to search for survivors among the rubble. some described this as a scene out of bag tad. its a small town that is 20 miles north of waco with almost leveled by a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant. now the blast which was captured on cell phone video -- are you okay? >> yes. >> you are okay? >> i cant hear. i cant hear. >> i want to make sure you had a chance to hear. that it sort of captures the size, immensity and fear. that explosion could be be felt as far ...

Evacuate. officials concerned about potentially deadly gas fumes and a second fertilizer tank that could also explode. people living near the plant feared for their lives. >> when it exploded, we all just hit the ground and i was trying to cover up my daughter because it was a lot of debris flying. then after that, it was just basically search and rescue. >> reporter: the smoldering fire and fumes prevented rescue workers from getting near the plant. officials say the blast area resembles a war ...

People in the nursing home, the rescue workers themselves, my guess is, theyre going to have to be fully brprotected and get clean air, oxygen from the people who are potentially maybe trapped in the nursing home. >> emergency personnel are on the scene. not only set up the triage area. which i was told was a mile or so from the blast. but in some of the images of the fire, you could see some sort of retardant. i dont know if it was water or some other sort of retard end poured on to the flames....

People living near the plant feared for their lives. >> when it exploded, we all just hit the ground, and i was trying to cover up my daughter because there was a lot of debris flying. within -- after that, it was just basically search and rescue. >> reporter: the smoldering fire and fumes prevented rescue workers from getting near the plant. officials say the blast area resembles a war zone. >> massive, just like iraq, just like the murray building in oklahoma city. same kind of anhydrous explo...

Miles away and windows blown out. there was a rural area, but there was an apartment complex, a school and a nursing home. would it be unusual to be located near a nursing home? apartment complex? >> yeah, thats a fair question. but i can tell you one thing besides the obvious sort of physical damage to the nursing home, the air quality in there. this is of small concern. i imagine in addition to trying to rescue people in that nursing home, the rescue workers, themselves, my guess is theyre goi...

>> so you see there what were dealing with. residents there are being evacuated with from the town. there are fears that a second large fertilizer tank may explode. emergency officials say dozens of homes and an apartment complex have been levelled. we saw a picture of that a little early. you might be able to bring that up now. there are reports that a school and nursing home have been badly damaged. rescue workers have been unable to get anywhere near the plant because, of course, the fire is ...

Rescue workers have been unable to get anywhere near that plant because, of course, the fire is still smoldering and releasing toxic chemical sboos the air. we want to show you exactly where this explosion took police station. the west fertilizer plant is in the small town west, texas. thats 28 kilometers north of waco. west, texas is home to about 2600 people! rose mary, responders have set up a field triage station on a football field near the plant. a local hospital ceo has told us that six h...

My understanding is that concern has been lifted but there is concern about this chemical that is typically stable but in the presence of a fire can actually become quite explosive and flammable. >> its a nitrogen fertilizer that is in a gas form, naturally but is stored in a liquid form and is compressed and stored under very controlled temperatures. >> if it gets out of the typical conditions because the pressure from the tank goes away it is sort of lighter than air and wafts off into the atm...

>> we were talking a little bit about where its located. some are saying two miles away, some saying one mile away. theyre describing it as a rural area, but there was an apartment complex, a school and a nursing home. i know that you dont know everything about fertilizer plants and where theyre located, but would it be unusual to be located near a nursing home? an apartment complex? >> yeah, thats a fair question. but i can tell you one thing besides the obvious physical damage to the nursing h...

Welcome back to "starting point." im john berman. >> im chris cuomo. following developing stories here in boston, but mostly in texas this morning. the tiny town of west right now, rescue workers are going door to door looking for people who may be trapped in their homes after a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant. first there was a fire, then a blast so powerful it registered as 2.1 magnitude seismic event. like an event quake. >> look at the pictures. simply amazing. police right now say a...