18 April 2013 (02:18 UTC-07 Tango)/07 Jumada t-Tania 1434/29 Farvardin 1391/09 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

The owner of the West, Texas, fertilizer factory that caught fire, leading to a massive explosion that killed and wounded hundreds, says he does not know how the fire started.

A reporter from the Dallas CBS affiliate spoke to him by phone.  He told her that the factory was closed for the night, and all employees were “off duty” when the fire started.   He was called, apparently by police/firefighters, to come out to see the fire, but he says when he got there the police began ordering everyone out, so he returned home.  Then the factory exploded.

What is interesting is that one of the volunteer firefighters was also an employee at the factory. The CBS affiliate reporter talked to the factory manager who said he was called by the firefighter and told about the fire.  The explosion went off before the manager arrived on scene, and he was not able to find the firefighter, who is among EMS personnel now missing, presumed dead.