Ceremony held as we approach 10 years since West fertilizer plant explosion
WEST, Texas - It’s been nearly 10 years since 15 people were killed and 300 others were injured after a fertilizer plant in West, Texas exploded.
Only a few thousand people live in the city of West, which is north of Waco.
At the time, the explosion wrecked their community.
"Yet, you have brought us to a place of abundance," First Baptist Church of West Pastor John Crowder said.
Nevertheless, they’re celebrating for how far they’ve come, while remembering those lost.
"They tell me that I was the closest one to the actual explosion that survived the explosion," West Fire Department Chaplain Robert Payne recalled.
Payne responded to the fire at the West Fertilizer Co. plant on the evening of April 17, 2013.
There was a large explosion 22 minutes later, which Payne does not remember.
"I don’t remember anything about it. My memory cuts out before the explosion occurred and I didn’t come to until the next day," he said.
Of the 15 killed, 12 were first responders.
"So many of our firemen who do remember it are still to this day having a hard time dealing with it," Payne said.
Memorial in West dedicated to 15 killed in fertilizer plant explosion
A new memorial dedicated to the first responders who died in a 2013 fertilizer plant fire and explosion in West was unveiled in the Central Texas town Saturday morning.
The impact stretched wide, as more than 500 homes were destroyed and a 93-foot wide and 12-feet deep crater was left behind.
There were different theories as to what caused the explosion.
Ultimately, the ATF ruled that the fire was intentionally set, but no one has ever been charged.
There’s still a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment. On Saturday, a larger sum of money - $100,000 - was donated to the West, TX Foundation from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
"I’m honored to be part of this community," Amy Epperson said.
People like Epperson remember rushing to a nearby school to make sure their kids were safe.
"And so my main concern was of course finding her," she recalled.
Saturday, her daughter was part of a choir singing to uplift people who are still feeling the pain.
"I was in the hospital for two weeks, intensive care for a couple days," Payne recalled.
Payne said he’s fortunate he does not remember the explosion, but he’ll always remember those who did not make it.
"They were the best of the best," he said.
As will the people of West.
"It’s a way for us to honor them and to honor our past," Crowder said.