A powerful blast in a small Texas town

By Paul Duginski, Tia Lai and Raoul Ranoa

The deadly explosion at a fertilizer facility in the small town of West, Texas, was so powerful that it registered as a magnitude 2.1 seismic event and was felt as far away as Dallas, about 80 miles north. The blast damaged or destroyed a nursing home, a middle school, an apartment complex and dozens of houses.

Before: Overview

After: Toward High School

After: Toward Intermediate School

After: Closeup of blast site

Sources: Associated Press, Pictometry International, ESRI, USGS

Credits: Graphics reporting by Les Dunseith, Brady MacDonald, Wil Ramirez