A hospital in Waco, Texas, has been told to anticipate 100 injured people coming in from the fertilizer plantarea, an official at the medical facility said. Glenn Robinson, CEO of Hillcrest Hospital, said a field triage station was being set up at the plant some 18 miles north of Waco after the Wednesday night explosion.
A photo after the explosion -- which reportedly happened around 7:50 p.m. (8:50 p.m. ET) -- showed a huge plume of smoke rising high into the air.
The West Fertilizer Plant is located about 20 miles north of Waco. A school and a nursing home are among the buildings near the plant, CNN affiliate KWTX reported.
Other authorities did not respond immediately to CNN's requests for information Wednesday night.
Tommy Alford, who works in a convenience store about three miles from the plant, told CNN that several volunteer firefighters were at the store when they spotted smoke.
Alford said the firefighters headed toward the scene and then between five and 10 minutes later, he heard a massive explosion.
- CNN
