West Fertilizer Explosion Memorial To Be Dedicated This Weekend
WEST, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Ceremonies will be held this weekend in a Central Texas town to remember the 15 people killed in a 2013 fertilizer plant fire and explosion.
Organizers say the City of West Fallen Heroes Memorial will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The April 17, 2013, blast at the West Fertilizer Co. plant claimed the lives of a dozen emergency personnel and three residents of West, a town of about 3,000 located 75 miles south of Dallas. Some 200 other people were injured in the blast.
Work began in 2017 on the memorial at Parker's Park, located about 100 yards from where the plant erupted in fire. Architect and former West resident Kurt Vrbas designed the site, with a reflecting pool and plaques honoring those who died.
Donations helped cover the cost of the $300,000 project.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)