WEST, Texas — Taking video of what he must have thought was a big from a safe distance, Erick Perez was knocked back when the West Fertilizer company’s plant exploded Wednesday.
Derrick Hurtt was recording the fire nearby from his vehicle with his 12-year-old daughter Khloey. After the blast, she begs Hurtt to “please get out of here,” saying she could no longer hear — both escaped without injury.
It is incredible footage that will certainly be played many times for years to come. And it is startling in that firefighters were already on scene when the blast occurred — several are unaccounted for and feared dead.
The explosion was reportedly felt anywhere from 50 to 70 miles away and the U.S. Geological Survey, which among other things measures the force of earthquakes, said it was a 2.1 magnitude event.