Perhaps the closest comparison to Beirut's explosion, in terms of scale, is a blast in Texas City in 1947, which was caused by 2,300 US tons (about 2,087 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate.

Investigators said ammonium nitrate caused the explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, on April 17. Fourteen people died and more than 200 more were injured in the blast.

Events such as the Oklahoma City bombing and the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion were caused by ammonium nitrate. But perhaps the event most comparable to Beirut happened in Texas City.

Lebanon’s government has blamed a large quantity of poorly stored ammonium nitrate for the huge blast that rocked its capital, Beirut. What is this chemical, and why did it explode?

In mid-April 1947, a French freighter, the Grand Camp, docked at Texas City to take on a heavy load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. But as longshoremen loaded the ship on April 16, the smell of ...

In Texas City, TX, on April 16, 1947, the SS Grandcamp was at the port taking on a load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer to be shipped to Europe as part of the rebuilding process following World War II.

Ten years after fertilizer explosion, the impact ripples through one Texas town. And experts warn more work is needed to avert ammonium nitrate disaster.

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. The city council in West this week approved of ...

Return to West: 10 years after deadly explosion, a sense of healing, sacrifice and resolve echo throughout this tiny Texas town At 7:51 p.m. on April 17, 2013, the small town of West, Texas was ...

Similar reddish smoke could be seen just before a 2013 explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant filled with ammonium nitrate that killed 15 people.

In 2013, ammonium nitrate was the cause of an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, killing 15 people, injuring 200 and wiping out hundreds of homes.

The beginning of the end happened when an ammonium nitrate explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. killed 15 people, injured 200 others, and resulted in the eventual destruction of more than 300 homes.