Fire causes Texas town evacuation

[Heidi]

Source: BBC

Page last updated at 01:18 GMT, Friday, 31 July 2009 02:18 UK

People have been evacuated from a Texas town as a fire burns at a local chemical plant.

Firefighters in Bryan say that the blaze at warehouse storing ammonium nitrate is too dangerous to tackle.

"They're just letting it burn so it could take hours to completely burn out," said a city spokesman.

The town of 72,000, 100 miles (160km) northwest of Houston, was evacuated in stages, and were being accommodated at Texas A&M university.


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8177557.stm

[AngryAmish]

1. I've seen this movie - How much to you want to bet there is an alien crash site there?

[Heidi]

2. :tinfoilhat:

Mornin', AngryAmish! :hi:

[AngryAmish]

6. good morning, Heidi!

[TexasProgresive]

3. It was pretty scary

The fire started about noon in a warehouse situated west of town. There was no problem in the city until 3PM when the wind shifted and blew the fumes directly into town. There was haze right down at street level and it caused me eye irritation and it seemed I could taste it. The evacuation order was for everyone to head south-some went to Reed arena at Texas A&M others the Mall.

Ammonium Nitrate is what blew up Texas City in the '40s and was the main component of the McVeigh's truck bomb in OK City. -Seriously scary stuff.

Eagle photo/Stuart Villanueva

Fire forces evacuations

Eagle Staff Report
Eagle photo/Stuart Villanueva
Officials scaled back a mandatory evacuation in Bryan to just 1,000 homes Thursday evening, allowing most residents to return home after a chemical fire at a plant forced them out earlier in the day.

http://www.theeagle.com/local/Fire-forces-evacuations


http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/52131722.html

[gimama]

14. Glad You're safe. Y'all take Care!

& thanks for the links.

[callous taoboy]

16. A friend of mine was in Texas City when that famous blast happened:

His description was terrifying. It all started happening so fast that they didn't have time to get away, so he hid in a chest of drawers.

[TexasProgresive]

4. A couple more links

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/07/31/0731bryanfire.html
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6555045.html

[Heidi]

5. Thank you for these links, TP!

And good morning! :hi:

[TexasProgresive]

9. Good morning to you, Heidi

TP now that's what my Dad always called toilet paper. hmmmm:evilgrin:

[Heidi]

10. Smarty pants.

I was using it as an acronym for your username. :rofl:

[PfcHammer]

7. Hook 'em

;)

[TexasProgresive]

8. Is that "hook 'em" a teasip snide remark

or are you unaware that Bryan/College Station is the home of Texas A & M? I don't really care as I come from a line of U of H (Cougar High) people and don't bleed maroon or burnt orange. But, again, what did that have to do with anything?

[PfcHammer]

15. Snide remark.

hehe. Longhorn NOT teapis.

[damntexdem]

11. 72,000 evacuees being "accommodated" in College Station?

And more specifically on the A&M campus? Where? The football stadium? At least the Superdome had a roof.

[TexasProgresive]

12. It was Reed arena on the Texas A & M campus plus

A & M Consolidated middle school. But they did not house anywhere near that number. Some people went to the Mall or took a drive. The main group of people who needed sheltering were in the immediate area around the site. The authorities did not allow them back home as of this morning. I am not sure whether they have been given the all clear.

[Posteritatis]

13. They aren't evacuating the entire city (nt)