Travis Taylor | Lariat Photograper
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Linda Wilkins
City Editor
In a press conference Thursday, officials gave an update on the explosion in West.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the families affected by the blast have support from officials.
“The first thing we want to convey is our support for the families,” said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. “Literally in an instant, families have been ripped apart.”
Abbott said the people affected by the explosion will have to piece everything back together.
“These are tough Texans,” Abbott said.
Abbot did confirm that some first responders lost their lives, but would not say how many. He would not confirm the number of total fatalities.
He said the State of Texas and the community pool will provide resources to help put the community back together.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has declared this a disaster, according to Abbott.
They will prosecute instances of price gouging.
He also said the Texas Department of Public Safety will attempt a fly over of the scene and will provide more information from that when it is available.
Sgt. Jose Reyes said they are still in the search and rescue phase in dealing with the disaster. He would not confirm a number of fatalities but he did confirm there are fatalities. This is the same information Waco Police Department Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton provided in a press conference Thursday morning.
Matt Cawthon, the chief deputy sheriff of McLennan Co. Sheriff’s Office, said the explosion took place in a highly populated area and the situation is still volatile. The cause of the fire is still unknown but said the presence of ammonia nitrate at the plant contributed to the disaster.
