welcome back to our breaking news coverage here on cnn. >> we'd like to welcome our

viewers in the united states and around the world. >> we begin with breaking news. a fire and a huge explosion at a fertilizer plant in texas. hospitals are treating more than a hundred injured people. there are at least two confirmed fatalities at this time. but authorities say that number could very well go much higher. we want to take just a minute to show this video that was posted on kwkt.com. that shows what appears to be a secondary explosion after that initial fire. >> now, this is what we know. residents are being evacuated from the town. and there are fears that a second large fertilizer tank may explode. emergency officials say 60-80 homes and an apartment complex have been levelled. and there are reports that a school and nursing home have been badly damaged.

rescue workers have been unable to get anywhere near that plant because, of course, the fire is still smoldering and releasing toxic chemical sboos the air. we want to show you exactly where this explosion took police station. the west fertilizer plant is in the small town west, texas. that's 28 kilometers north of waco. west, texas is home to about 2600 people! rose mary, responders have set up a field triage station on a football field near the plant. a local hospital ceo has told us that six helicopters flew out some of the injured while others were being taken by ambulance, car, emergency officials have sent hazardous material teams to the scene to try to deal with the an hydrous ammonia which is a fertilizer and also considered toxic. >> now, we do want to give you a number if you need more information about the victims of

this fertilizer plant explosion in texas. the hillcrest hospital has set up an information number to call. 254-202-1100. that's 254-202-1100. >> texas policeman spoke to the media after returning to the scene. he confirmed there were fatalities, but he says the situation remains fluid. wilson went onto say that the plant remains smoldering and that firefighters have not been able to get inside. >> we do have confirmed fatalities. the number is not current yet. tkt go up by the minute. we're in there searching the area right now and making sure that it's safe for any other people around there and the firefighters are trying to be safe and go back in. there's a lot of wind blowing,

changing the area. the an hydrous is still smoking and small flames and they don't want to get the firefighters injured. i can tell you, i was there, i walked through the blast area. i searched some houses earlier tonight. massive. just like iraq. just like the murray building in oklahoma city. you can imagine what kind of damage we're looking at there. i know there was at least 75-50 -- 50-75 houses damaged. there's apartment complex that has about 50 units in it that was completely skeleton standing up. there's a nursing home in the area that held 133 people in the nursing home. we've got them evacuated. i don't know what their injuries are there right now. but all injuries have been removed from the scene and taken to local hospitals in the waco area. we've had numerous agencies

helping us from the dallas ft. worth area to all the surrounding areas. we've had a great turn out to come out to help us get through this tragedy that we've had in this small community. i wish i could give you more information. all the injured right now have been taken care of. they're going to go back in and do another house-by-house search and see if anybody else victims are in the houses. that's going to be going on all night. so we have a command post set up for law enforcement. we have a command post set up for the emergency units shlgs also. and we still have a triage center set up at the community center right over here. >> what's the status of the plant? >> it's still smoldering. right now, they did not give us any update on it. it was smoldering, still, and there still is active, you know, other ingredients there on the facility. so we don't want that to explode again. so, right now, we cannot get fire fighters in there.

we're worried about people right now, not property. we want people to be safe that. 's our main goal right now. getting people safe and getting them out of there. >> we're being told hundreds of people have been wounded in this fire and explosion. joining us now on the line is keith hopkins. he's from the providence health center. he is in waco texas. mr. hopkins, just tell us,what sort of injuries are you treating people for after this explosion? right now, we've treated broken bones, head injuries and quite a few from respiratory distress from the an hydrous ammonia. >> we have to be very careful in terms of decon tam nalting these patients. we have also been put on alert

that dpepding on how the wind blows, that it could affect us here in waco. they seem to be doing well. we have had tremendous physician support, nursing respiratory, all of those folks have been here. and we've been able to take care of the situation as best we can. >> i read somewhere that every ambulance in central texas is on the scene there. does that sound like a fair assessment? >> that sounds like a very fair -- a very fair statement, absolutely. and there's been people from the dallas ft. worth metropolitan area all over central texas responding to the terrible disaster. >> what are you expecting in the coming hours? >> well, we should have probably the majority of the folks that

have been triaged at the local football field. we probably will be seeing some walk-ins from the local community there. we have had some nursing home patients from the nursing home that was destroyed come home come through and thursing homes in the region have stepped up and found spots for all of those people to go to. obviously, that facility is not operable at this point. so the folk ins wac -- all of central texas has been tremendous in this very disastrous situation. >> mr. hop can i be kins, during an emergency like this, there's the response to triage, there's the treating of the people who have suffered the most serious injuries, and then there's the next day and the next few days after this. what plans are you making for that?

>> well, we are, right now, working with city and county officials in terms of shelters for those many, many folks that have lost their homes and provide other social service support to those that need it. and that's something that our local community has already begun preparing for. >> there is also a lot of speculation about the number of people who have made -- who may have died in this explosion. any idea when we may get some firm, concrete numbers on that? >> well, i think those are going to come from west, from the emergency management folks. i was listening to an earlier interview that listed, you know, some of the fatalities. and that's something that i'll just have to refer -- let you refer back to them, you know, they sid in terms of 60 or 70. who know what is that's going be when it's all said and done. >> did you feel the explosion? >> well, we're 20 miles away.

but as far as ten miles or so, it broke windows. and i had a personal friend of mine that called me and he happened to be outside at the time and his house, his vehicles, they're just levelled. blown away. and how he managed not to be seriously hurt? who knows. so it's -- it's pretty devastating. >> okay. so, we will leave it that way. we appreciate the update. keith hopkins from the providence health center, the administrator there in waco texas. joining us on the line, 60 people being treated at that facility. making plans on how to deal with this on-going emergency which will be an emergency situation for many, many days to come. thank you, sir. >> all right, we're getting word at this time that the american red cross is sending crews from across texas to the scene of the explosion. joining us now with more is anita foster, the red cross public information officer. thank you so much for joining

us. i know you're right. at the ender of this, you have traveled. if you haven't arrived at the region. give us an idea on what you -- on what you know at this point. >> well, we are actually deploying right now. we're actually en route from dallas, ft. worth. and from our red cross sister chapter down in austin. we do have a chapter in wac. so we've got red cross people all spread out across texas. and we're all making our way to the scene. now, our waco team is there now. they do have a shelter set up in west. and so people do have a safe place to go for tonight. but we know that that's just for tonight. as the sun comes up in the morning, we're going to start seeing what the real needs are and our red cross teams will all be in place by sun-up to make sure that we can house these families with whatever they

need. we're seeing, honestly, the same pictures that everyone is seeing on television. and it is heartbreaking. so we want to make sure that we're in place to be sure to get everything that people need to them just as quickly as possible. >> and what are the main concerns at this point? >> the main concern tonight and into tomorrow is that families that have been evacuated, that they have a safe place to go. that's number one. after we take care of a safe shelter for everyone, we want to make sure that we're taking care of the emotional needs of people, too. this is a horrifying situation that people have been through. and they're going to be, for the first couple of days, just trying to deal with the aftermath of it. but they're going to have a lot of emotion about it. so the red cross is going to help people not with just physical things, like making sure that they have meals to eat

every day and they've got a place to say. but we're also going to make sure that we help them deal with the emotional feelings that they have. this is a really rocky situation. >> so what's -- >> the other needs will just emerge as we get on the scene and figure out exactly what people need. >> and give us an idea of the number of shelters that you have set up at this point and the number of people that you are dealing with? >> right. so, so far, we just have one shelter set up in west. but that's not uncommon. it's a pretty small town. to give folks an idea, there are about 2100 people who live in the town of west. it's a pretty small town and it's very family oriented. so everyone really has friends or family or long-time generational relatives that grew up in the same community. so a lot of the folks that were

displaced were able to go and stay with other relatives tonight. and that's fantastic. and that would be great for a few days. but, after that, you know, we need to start really looking at how we help families and their needs long-term. so those are the things that are going to come to the forefront in the days ahead. but, for now, it really is most-important that people that need a place to go that don't have somewhere else to stay, that they say no, they do have the red cross. gh and, indeed, the horror of this, anita is people coming to terms with this emotionally. some of them have lost everything, everything that was in their home. and they've gone to this shelter. they're going to need support. many of them won't be able to sleep through the night. so what sort of emotional support will they have in the next hour or so? in the hours ahead? >> oh, they'll have a lot of support.

the workers, by training and by trade, are really told how to help people deal with their emotions. we're so fortunate to have teams of volunteers that are trained, licensed, professional, mental health practice counselors. so they deal with these sorts of things every day. but they volunteer with us just so that people who go through things like the families of west went through today, they're told to have a conversation with someone. you know, they can express their feelings, too. so there's going to be plenty of opportunity. but i will tell you, today, it's not -- it's not the day we're likely to see that happen. it's going to be, you know, several days from now before the reality of the situation typically sets in. okay, right now, people need to be concerned about their loved ones, their relatives, concerned about themselves. and we will be working behind

the scenes to make sure that we have all of the right systems in place and to help families deal with their emotions just as soon as they're ready to do that. >> and many thanks for all of your good work. anita foster spokesperson for texas red cross. bringing us up the date on the situation there on the ground in west texas, john? >> we're talking about the damage that this blast caused, this very, very powerful blast. take a look at this photograph that was taken by a volunteer firefighter. it was posted to twitter sdwrus a short time ago. this is the apartment block that has been referenced by d.l. wilson. he's the department of public safety, he's the sheriff. this is a 50-unit apartment block. and d.l. wilson described it as just being a skeleton. boy, was he right. the power of that blast basically tearing off the roof of this apartment block leaving it exposed. this is a 50-unit apartment complex almost totally destroyed

there. not much left at all. just some of the damage which has been caused by this explosion at a fertilizer plant at west, texas. take a look at that as we take a short break. we'll continue with our cough raj here on cnn. oh, he's a fighter alright. since aflac is helping with his expenses while he can't work, he can focus on his recovery. he doesn't have to worry so much about his mortgage, groceries, or even gas bills. kick! kick... feel it! feel it! feel it! nice work! ♪ you got it! you got it! yes! aflac's gonna help take care of his expenses. and us...we're gonna get him back in fighting shape. ♪ [ male announcer ] see what's happening behind the scenes at ducktherapy.com. omnipotent of opportunity.

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welcome back to cnn's continuing coverage of a fertilizer plant explosion in the small town of west, texas. so far, there are two confirmed fatalities, but authorities fear that number will rise. more than 150 people have been taken to three local hospitals. rescue officials say it is still too dangerous to get even close to the plant. >> so here's what we know so far about the explosion. officials say 10-15 buildings, mostly houses, have been totally demolished. 50 homes were hef sli damaged. witnesses say flames engulf a nursing home and an apartment complex. more than 60 patients are being treated at the local hospital in waco. victims are suffering from broken bones and cuts and the

injuries range from minor to quite serious. there's a potential another explosion, that's the big fear here now. >> in talking about the injuries, more than 150 people have been taken to the hospital. we'd like to get an update on the situation at the providence health center. heather beck joins us on the line once more. heather, i understand you have some updated information there about the injuries? >> yes, thank you. currently, we treated 62 patients. we have three in triage and we have 12 admissions and we do have one patient in critical condition. we've had no confirmed casualties here at providence at this time. >> what are the patients telling you about what happened about their experience? what they went through? >> we're really focusing on treating our patients' injuries. many of them are in shock. many of them are stunned and concerned for other loved ones, as well.

>> when you talk about the people you're treating, is it people of all ages? is it very young to the very old? >> yes, all ages. >> and -- >> all ages, from young to old. >> and is there concern for those elderly residents of the nursing home? clearly, some of those must have been really frail. and to go through something like this, it must be very difficult. >> absolutely it is. i see other reports talking about family members have made it out of the nursing home and i know that the hursing home is a big focus. >> and we saw a photograph a short time ago, if we could bring it up, this was the apartment complex which was badly damaged. and we can see the destruction that was caused by this blast. i don't know if you have access to cnn right now, but it was a dramatic picture because of the type of blast. explain to me the type of injuries that something like this causes to the people inside. >> well, we are seeing injuries

consistent with an explosion. broken bones, cuts, bruising, respiratory disstress, of course, and then some mie tor burns, as well. >> and they tell me something like 700 responders on the scene right now. does that sound about right? >> i can believe it. the city of west has about 2800 people. and it affects a large portion of that city. so, yes, i believe that number. >> are you concerned about the wind because there are toxic fumes coming from west texas right now. and i think waco is about 18 miles from there? >> we are about 26 miles south of west. and the last report i heard was that the winds were moving more southwest, sort of away from us. and that a front is moving this evening that should blow the winds north. of course, we don't want anyone to get the fumes. >> heather, thank you for that.

we appreciate your time. we know it is late there. we know you have much o to do. heather beck on the line. 62 people now being treated there. three in triage, three are critical. >> john, you mentioned the weather conditions. that's the concern here. they may very well complicate matters. winds are expected to shift soon. we'll go back to ivan from the weather center. ivan, there's a change in the wind, that's the concern. and, as john mentioned, these fumes, this is the worry, too? >> if we're talking about fumes, and the plant is north to waco, the winds are not going to remain out of the south the entire time. we are going to have a wind shift tonight and tomorrow to the north and to the northwest. not only are we having a wind shift, but this is a potent front coming through. we'll have winds gusting 35-40. i'm speaking now in english as

far as weather terms here. just not to complicate things. the winds are plotted at miles per hour. so 24 miles per hour. we're gusting to 35. as that line of thunderstorms comes through, we could have win gusts in access of 60, 70 miles per hour. i'm expecting that local time, after 4:00 a.m. tonight. continuing into the early part of the morning. so for those responders coming in, we talked to the red cross. prepare that you are going to be coming in to an area with the explosion, with the people that are going to be coming in in to an area of added danger because of the weather. the boxes you just seen popping up here in just the last few minutes, that's a severe thunderstorm watch with good reason. we have nasty thunderstorms rolling through. just for orientation, here's dallas. this is the side of the explosion. this is the air force base. those are the thunderstorms there indicating large hail and very nasty winds. all of that will continue to push off to the south and east as we head through tonight,

again, especially after 4:00 a.m. now, the red boxes, to the north, are rotating thunderstorms there. we have the potential for tornadoes. i don't think it will be that far south, but never the less, you don't need winds to row tat to cause damage. when you have these winds coming through at 60, 70 miles an hour, that's going to be a problem here as everything will push off to the east. hopefully, rose mary and john, we'll be able to get these folks, as i know question will, into shelters. the temperatures, right now in the 70s, are going to be dropping incredibly throughout the day. this is an unusual front coming through. look at the snow into ohio, rose mary. temperatures, as we get through tonight, that is tonight, thursday night, we're going to be talking about temperatures in the upper '30s. so very cold after that and we do clear out. >> a big concern because we heard from the red cross. cross. we understand that shelter has got people safely away for the night and, of course, protected from these temperatures.

all right, ivan, many thanks. we will, of course, keep checking back in with you. john? >> the wife of one of the city's volunteer firefighters spoke with pierce morgan just a short time ago. america's story is frightening and heartbreaking. listen to this. >> if my mother woudn't have been outside, she wouldn't have been able to get in the house. >> your house is completely destroyed? >> yes. >> i'm so very sorry for you and your family. do you feel that many people

have been killed in this incident? >> right now, i'm sure there is. >> i'm so sorry for what's happened to you. do you have other family in the town or friends? have you been able to speak to anybody else? >> a couple of them. a couple of them has. it's hard to even think. >> where are you speaking to me from at the moment? >> i'm about two miles out of town now. >> and are many people evacuated, as far as you're aware?

>> yes, yes, yes. >> there was a lot of -- there was a line of cars from every we are hearing these sorts of stories from this fertilizer plant where there was a huge explosion. >> a city of about 2800 people -- town, really -- about half of it has already been evacuated. it has no gas. it has no electricity. people are out doors. there are toxic fumes in the air. there is an unknown number of dead, including many, many other people who have been wounded. possibly hundreds, we're hearing. among that total, firefighters, as well. it is uncertain as to what's going to happen with the weather.

this is a very fluid story. it continues to develop. we'll have a lot more on this when we come back. you're watching cnn's breaking news. [ male announcer ] ok, here's the way the system works. let's say you pay your guy around 2% to manage your money. that's not much you think. except it's 2% every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch. over time it really adds up. then go to e-trade and find out how much our advice costs.

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breaking news coming out of texas. at least two people are dead, possibly more. we won't know that number for a few hours yet. this happened, of course, after a fire and a huge explosion at a fertilizer plant. this video is set to show a huge secondary explosion after that initial fire. the entire area has been evacuated. dozens of homes and a neerk apartment complex are levelled. authorities say the fire is contained at this point, but, still, smoldering. they can't get into it. they can't get near it at this point. >> this was an incredibly powerful blast. and a short time ago, one witness described what it felt like. >> it was on fire. it was a real heavy blaze. all of the sudden, it just exploded. and it blew everything within

50-60 feet back. so it was an apartment complex -- yeah, it was devastated. the nursing home. the fire was close to a residential area. >> crystal, how far away were you? >> not even a hundred yards. >> not even a hundred yards. i don't know if you heard what barry said, he said it felt like a bomb in his backyard. i can't imagine how much. it must have been worse where you were. >> yes, i was close. i live right there. >> well, right now, authorities are concerned about a chemical. it's call ee eed anhydrous, amm. it's a pungent gas with

suffocating fumes and is composed of nitrogen and hydrogen. now, the u.s. government doesn't classify anhydrous ammonia as a flammable substance in normal concentrations. but, of course, in industrial situations, like this one that we're dealing with, it becomes dangerous. and the presence of other combustible material makes it more volatile. and one of the main concerns right now at the scene is the air quality. hundreds of firefighters and other first responders may be breathing in the hazardous chemicals that are around. dr. sanjay gupta spoke to anderson cooper and to erin burnett about the dangers. >> we've heard about fertilizer explosions in the past. and this is always a concern. because the blast itself, somebody a couple miles away

felgt the impact of this. they'll talk about the burn, the flash effects and also just this chemical, itself. one of the people, i think, they said they saw guards wearing respirators. that would not surprise me because the air in that area is probably going to quickly become of concern when you have these sorts of chemicals. . so we've seen these types of explosions in the past. those are pretty standard protocols. frankly, all the blast injuries that we've been talking about this week with regard to what's happening in boston, those same sorts of injuries, you have to be concerned about here, as well. >> obviously, fertilizer is used in exploezive devices. you can understand why it would be so flammable. >> yeah, we talked about ammonia nitrate and its primary use as a fertilizer. fertilizer plants are always of concern.

>> we were talking a little bit about where it's located. some are saying two miles away, some saying one mile away. they're describing it as a rural area, but there was an apartment complex, a school and a nursing home. i know that you don't know everything about fertilizer plants and where they're located, but would it be unusual to be located near a nursing home? an apartment complex? >> yeah, that's a fair question. but i can tell you one thing besides the obvious physical damage to the nursing home, the air quality. this is a small concern. i imagine, in addition to trying to rescue people in that nursing home, the rescue workers, myself, are going to have to be fully protected and quickly try to get clean air, oxygen, to the people who are potentially, i guess, maybe trapped, i heard, in that nursing home. >> this was an incredibly powerful explosion. it has damaged or flattened dozens, maybe 60 homes. it has damaged a nursing home. and we're also told that it has,

essentially, stripped bare a 50-unit apartment building. this is a photograph that was on twitter. and it was posted by a volunteer firefighter, not far from the fertilizer plant. this is a small town. everything seems to be very close together. this is why the police are tribing a seen just like the murray building and the oklahoma city bombing as well. let's find out more what's happening right now in west texas. chris sedhini from kxan joins us on the phone. chris, you're there in west texas right now. what's happening at the moment? >> well, we're actually at a hotel that has been booked solid for the night. i talked to the hotel management. they said after this explosion, they got a lot of people who obviously, don't have homes for the night. maybe not even once the scene is cleared. there are a few shelters set up

in surrounding communities. they are evacuating a five-mile radius around the plant. that is because of the potential for toxic fumes. i did talk to one woman who lived at that apartment complex you were mentioning. she said that this plant has had fires before, being a fertilizer plant, but they've always been real small. that this one that started today was much bigger than any they'd ever seen. still, they were just watching it. >> that's when the apartment building collapsed, she said she just started running. she saw some people with injuries. we don't know yet how many people suffered an injury. we don't know yet what the total fatality count may be. it looks like it certainly has been a very significant damage

that this explosion has caused. >> one thing that we're hearing is that the emergency crews at this hour continue to go house to house, continue to look for anyone who hay be wounded, anyone who may have opinion killed. what more can you tell us? >> well, i can tell you when we fwot here, we were quickly turned around. there's a lot of responders out there and that wouldn't surprise me at all to make sure that everybody was out of their home because of the potential danger. that's something that they don't know if there's still something combustible down in that plant. but there are a lot of service workers out there right now. they've fwot a lot of roads blocked off. it's hard to maneuver around west right now. they don't want people going in. they want people coming out. >> you say the hotel where you're staying is booked up solid? we know a lot of people have

lost their homes over the last few hours. where else can people go if they have lost their home? >> yeah, that's information that we're still trying to gather. i know that in surrounding communities, nearby waco, which is about 15-20 miles to the south, there's been a few shelters set up. churches are opening their doors to take in people and there's some donation centers that are already starting to be put up. so there are places, right now, where people can go. i think the most pressing challenge right now is getting people to those locations. and what sort of place is west texas? i've been to waco, i've been to crawford. i've never made it to west. it seems like a typical small, texas town? >> it's a town of only about 2500 people. but even though it's still small, it's a town that a lot of people in texas know about. they've known for making some of

the best kalaccis in the state. so the town of west has a spot in the heart of a lot of texans. and then you hear about something happening in west. everybody knows exactly where it's at. it's the place where everybody stops if they're driving between dallas and austin. a lot of people are familiar with this town, even though it's very small. >> yes, very quickly, chris. what are you expecting in the next couple of hours as far as the emergency work there? what are they telling you? >> well, we're just getting information as it comes. we really don't know what they're doing on the other side of town right now where they had it blocked off. i know at some point, we hope to get some firm numbers who's accounted for. who's injured. where those people are being taken to receive treatment. and hopefully, we'll get some kind of idea how many people were injured. and, unfortunately, maybe even killed.

yes, chris, thank you for that. chris on the line there. he is in west texas right now. >> this is obviously, breaking news. there has been a lot of damage. we'll continue to follow this breaking story. we'll bring you any new information as soon as we get it. but, for now, we will take a short break. [ male announcer ] you think you know me. i'm just red carpets and big spectacles.

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we continue with breaking news. a fire and a huge explosion at a fert liezer plant in texas. there are at least two confirmed fatalitie fatalities, but authorities are saying that number could go much higher. we won't know that number for a matter of hours yet. and we do want to show you this video. it was posted on kwkt.com. it shows what appears to be a secondary explosion after the initial fire.

>> so you see there what we're dealing with. residents there are being evacuated with from the town. there are fears that a second large fertilizer tank may explode. emergency officials say dozens of homes and an apartment complex have been levelled. we saw a picture of that a little early. you might be able to bring that up now. there are reports that a school and nursing home have been badly damaged. rescue workers have been unable to get anywhere near the plant because, of course, the fire is still smoldering and releasing those toxic chemicals we talked about into the air. the u.s. chemical safety board is sending a team to texas to investigate that part of the story. i want to show you where this story took place. the west fertilizer plant is in the small town of west, texas. it's only 18 miles north of waco.

>> i want to go to glen robinson now. he's the ceo of that center. he joins us on the phone from waco, texas. sir, could you bring us up to date on the number of people you are working with? the number of people that are coming in? how many people have needed your services there so far? >> so far, we have treated here more than a hundred patients. so far, we have no fatality that is we have treated here at this facility. we're just really proud of our emergency personnel and the

system and which it has worked. as you know, in this profession, the average person on the street would have no idea. we train and we drill and we hope something like this never happens. but, when it does, it's -- it's certainly rewarding to see the system work so that we can take care of so many people so rapidly. that our facility, alone, as i mentioned, we've cared for more than a hundred. our sister hospital, 30 miles to the south, they have treated several. and we have transported two pediatric patients. we knew that they would benefit from our children's hospital by receiving a higher level of pediatric subspecialty care. and also, another community hospital here in waco, has treated probably at least 30 or more patients as well. they have supported our efforts as we have taken the lead in

taking care of the trauma patients. the number of patients coming in at this time has dramatically slowed. we are hearing from command members, emergency personnel on the scene, that we are expected to see critical injuries throughout the evening. the number of our patients are in surgery, a couple more are getting ready to go to surgery and they're being assessed. and their diagnostics and everything are being completed prior to them going to surgery. >> it is, indeed, a relief to hear at this point you have not dealt with any fatalities. tell us, though, about the patients that are undergoing surgery at this point. what sort of injuries are being treated? >> most of the injuries that we have seen here this evening are injuries that would be associated with a blast of this size. with an explosion. we're seeing a lot of

lacerations. we're seeing a lot of coop constitutions. we're seeing some broken bones. but that is probably the most common type of injury that we are seeing. >> have you been surprised? when you look at the pictures, particularly the picture we were able to show our viewers of that 30-unit apartment block and when we are hearing news of the nursing home being affected by this fire and blast, are you surprised you haven't been dealing with any fatalities at this point? >> well, certainly, you know, when you see pictures like that, it certainly takes your breath away. i would venture to say that probably before the night is over, we will continue to see some of those that, hopefully, will be located inside the rubble and we are prepared and standing by and ready to take care of those, as well. hopefully, we'll be able to see

successful treatment of those seriously injured that may come our way this evening. >> many thanks to you for talking with us. we know this is a very busy and difficult time for you. we'll let you get back to your work there. appreciate it. >> let's go back to west, texas. cnn's martin savage joins us now on the line from west, texas. he has made his way through this small town. martie, we know it's late there, it's 10 to 2 there local time, 10 to 3 eastern. what's the scene? >> i can guarantee you nobody is sleeping here tonight, not in light of what has happened. we're looking at the chand post in typical texas fashion. it is located at what is normally a cattle auction site. so you have this massive gathering of media and police and fire. but in the background, you've got a lot of cows. so you hear the mooing of them going and it makes for an

unusual combination of the background of this very tragic scene. right now, we're anticipating that there will be more updates throughout the night. there's another one scheduled for later today, but there are some who just give us bits and pieces of information, most of which you four have been sharing. the scene here is i won't say chaotic. there is an organized kind of chaos going on. the command post is set up inside of a trailer is where authorities seem to be getting information from the first responders to those who are closest to the site of the blast itself. and then they're hoping to disseminate to the media. and then there's a small restaurant, a number of evacwees inside there, people are telling over and over their harrowing stories of escape or how they felt the blast or how they first knew of the tragedy that's hit their neighborhood. about half of the town has been evacuated. i've got to tell you, the

concern among many is that weather that's going to move in here. the wind has been blowing very fiercely throughout the night. the fear is now with weather moving in, it will change direction and that could mean that the fumes and that anhydrous ammonia, which is what they fear most from that fertilizer plant could move in a different direction and forcing more and more people to flee. but that is pretty much the scene now. it's dark. it's headlights that illuminate it amongst some emergency lighting. the flag here is at half staff. the community is definitely on edge. >> have you had a chance to speak with many people there that have told you how they managed to survive this? >> most of them, just how they heard it, how they felt it. one young man said he literally was blown off of his feet as a result of the explosion. there have been reports, of course, that there was a fire at the plant. and then it was about ten minutes later, witnesses say

that there was this massive explosion, if you've seen any of the video of the con cussive force alone was spectacular, let alone the fire ball that some have described as a hundred feet across. you can imagine the devastation that would have on structures near us. among them, school, a nursing home and that's where the first responders are now, combing through the wreckage, the rubble, to see if there are people tram trapped to be rescued. those would be the primary concern for the moment. >> we've heard from d.l. wilson who is the sheriff there. he has told us that this is a scene just like iraq. would you agree with him? >> well, you know, i have not been up. i've seen the photos. we're not allowed to get close. but from looking at those photographs that i have seen, the impact was huge. whether it was a combination of the blast or the fire that seemed to follow, when you can

entirely turn -- just even an apartment building that is just a skeleton structure, of course, there's remnants or anything that you might find inside of a war zone. the people here were in no way prepared. this is not something that anybody had anticipated. but it's been a devastating blow to this community. the first responders, the importers people here say they do have enough help. but the ems team, the firefighters, emergency personnel have been showing up for over a hundred miles away. they believe they have enough personnel on hand for the job they need to do right here. of course, being the middle of the night, weather is going to be a problem. so when daylight comes, that's when they can begin to assess how broad an area has been impacted and what more needs to be done. >> this fire in the plant is still smoldering. we're told it's still burning and there are noxious, toxic

fumes involved. can you smell it? is there a definite smell in the air? >> the wind, and i guess this is probably a plus, it is really blowing. i would say it's blowing at 15-maybe 20 miles an hour. the gusts are higher. this particular anhydrous aammonia will cling close to the ground. with this wind, i'm hoping it will push the fumes away from collecting in any one place. but, that said, you have a tank. that's got to be a concern. whether the winds here will fan the flames in some way to make that fire more difficult, that remains to be seen. you can't see signs of fire. but as you are driving in from the highway, there is definitely this kind of greyish cloud that is quite visible. so you know you've come to the area where the tragedy has

unfolded. >> finally, we know that about half the town has been evacuated. it's a town of 2800 people. do the math, that's 1400 people. so we're now looking at hundreds of people that now need somewhere to go. what arrangements are being put in place for them? >> yeah, these are early hours. i'm sure that's being worked on, right now, but, of course, the primary effort is to rescue those who can still be saved. waco is not that far away. there are hotels. there are shelters that are opening up and knowing texas as i do, it isn't long before the churches start opening up and people's homes start welcoming up and welcoming in neighbors and strangers to help them in this time of need. i think they will be able to cope with this influx. fortunately, it's not a massive amount of people. but it's still horrible for those who have been impacted. and it's going to be something that probably changes. now, we know that some of the people that have been forced to evacuated are going to be gone for a long time. i believe from the reports, anywhere from 50-60 homes have

been devastated. we talked about that apartment -- already, there are people who have semi-permanently been displaced because of the damage that's been done. others may be temporarily displaced because of the concerns for any types of fumes. once that has dissipated, maybe they can return home. >> okay. thank you, marty. marty savage on the line. he is now in west texas bringing us up to date with the very latest from the scene of this blast. marty was at the command center there. one thing that he did say is there are literally hundreds of first responders on the scene right now dealing with this emergency. and we will take a short break here. we'll continue to watch cnn's rolling coverage on this breaking news from west texas.

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and welt come back to our breaking news on cnn. >> i'm john vause. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. we're following major breaking news at this hour. a fire and a huge explosion in west, texas. residents are being evacuated throughout the town of west, texas. there are at least two confirmed fatalities, but numbers can go much higher. it is to show what is the initial fire and the secondary explosion.