Three years after a deadly fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, Texas, officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives have determined that the initial cause of the fire was a “criminal act”.
The ATF’s 3-year investigation ruled out any accidental or natural causes of the fire that set off an ammonium nitrate explosion at the West Fertilizer plant in 2013.
"The only hypothesis that could not be eliminated and was confirmed by extensive testing at the ATF fire research laboratory is incendiary," said Robert Elder, special agent in charge of the investigation.
To date officials have spent more than 2 million dollars on the investigation, which was done with the help of 28 various state and federal agencies. Investigators conducted more than 400 interviews, reviewed photographic and video evidence, and constructed replicas of the fertilizer plant to determine the initial cause. No suspect or suspects have been named, as the investigation is still on going.
Elder says he’s not sure what type of charges the suspect could face.
“I think it’s too early to speculate at this point until we make an arrest and we present a full and complete prosecution package to the appropriate prosecuting body.”
The fertilizer explosion – which killed 15 people, including 12 first responders and caused millions of dollars in property damage – triggered investigations into the storage of ammonium nitrate and the chemical regulatory system.
Last year, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 942 into law, which among other things bars facilities from storing ammonium nitrate with any non-fertilizer materials and requires the chemical to be stored at least 30 feet away from combustible materials.
The ATF is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.