0 three-mile radium set up of a no-fly zone in the event of a potential second explosion. in addition to making sure that the injured are tended to, officials were going door-to-door to ensure that if there was anyone who was trapped or needed assistance, they were provided that. an eyewitness who lives in that community, reported that she received a text message from someone in triage in a those searches were over. that's one source on the ground. nbc has not officially confirmed that. we have heard from other hospitals in the area that they are treating burn victims, which, of course, would be consistent with the nature of this explosion. now, officials are, of course, monitoring this vision. governor rick perry issued a statement earlier saying they have mobilized state resources to help local authorities. a white house official says the obama administration has been briefed on the situation. they continue monitoring local and state response through the federal emergency management agency. in addition to tending to those who have been injured, officials are concerned about the possibility of a secondary explosion. a texas state official gave a briefing early this morning and said that, quote, there are still active ingredient there's. and that the fire continued to burn. with active ingredients, we can only assume he means dangerous chemicals that could lead to a secondary explosion. to the force of that blast. it was felt, reportedly, as far as 70 miles away. our own charles hadlock, was 60 miles away at the time. and he felt that explosion. and one official who got an opportunity to survey some of the damage said it was massive. the damage was massive. it looked just like iraq. and looked just like the oklahoma city bombing. that's how severe that damage was. again, residents have been told to evacuate from nearby areas. and those who are in the area who have not evacuated are being told to stay indoors. in terms of the scope of damage outside of the human toll, there is a significant amount of property damage. 50 to 100 buildings in the surrounding area have been damaged or destroyed. including, in fact, the mayor's own home. his home was destroyed or damaged. west is a small community. it's a farming community of about 2,600 people. you can imagine that 100 homes and buildings in that area comprises a large part of that community. we have some sound from earlier this morning, when texas state official d.l. wilson briefed reporters on the latest that was taking place. let's take a moment to listen to that. >> first of all, our hearts and prayers go to many around here in west. it's a small army community. always open our arms to everybody that passes through here on i-35 and mclennan county that's our goal right now. get the people safe and get them out of there. >> i do not know right now. it's going to be a number. i can't give you a number right now. there's going to be a number. hopefully at 6:00 a.m. i'll know better. >> early estimates are 50 to 60, 70 maybe? >> i cannot confirm that. i wish i could tell you something. >> firefighters are on fighting the fire right now. it's still smoldering a little bit. they're in the area. they cannot get close to it. toxic fumes coming off the area. >> is there dangerous fumes outside the plant? >> there is. they cleared the area, an eight-block to ten-block area. they moved people in back further. half of that town over there is totally evacuated. what we're worried about now is, for. >> and we should note that we are awaiting another press conference on this. we're expecting officials to brief reporters shortly on the latest information that they have on this. but, charles, you're there in west, texas. what can you tell us about what you're hearing from local media? whether it's through the radio or local news? what are they saying to people? and what are they reporting about this terrible tragedy? >> pretty much what we've been talking about. we don't know the clear numbers of injured. we don't know the numbers of fataliti fatalities. they're not letting the media into that site, which is understandable. it's a scene of devastation. and the priority is to get the victims out, if there are still victims there. the problem is, the breakdown of information. that's why having the news conferences, as they've been doing every few hours, is very important, the try to get the accurate information out there. >> and just what are you seeing? earlier, you reported that you were still seeing the glow of a fire. has that changed? >> i don't see anything at the to bring everybody up to speed on what we know and what has happened so far tonight. we know at 6:00 p.m., roughly, our time, there was a fire at the west fertilizer company in downtown west, texas. once that fire started, their fire department responded. numerous firefighters went to the scene to assist in putting that fire out. as they were at the scene, they realized the seriousness of what they had, based on it being a fertilizer plant. we knew that there was ammonia in there. we realized the volatility of that and how explosive it could be. they immediately started doing evacuations of homes, of businesses, trying to get people out of the area. approximately 50 minutes after their response, there was a massive explosion at that fertilizer plant. they were in the process of removing people from homes. a nursing home in the area and also an apartment complex. i can tell you, from me driving to the scene there, there is quite a bit of devastation in that area. there are victims that were in homes. victims from the nursing home. and there are victims also from an apartment complex. approximately 50-unit apartment complex. some of the photos have been on tv. you see the devastation that's occurred. i can tell you, once they started to trying to clear the injured out, there were a tremendous response from law enforcement agencies, mclennan county sheriff's department, waco p.d., waco fire, mclennan emergency management. and other agencies to assist west at their request. many ambulance companies, medical personnel, also assisted here, as well. and they are still here. still trying to help and get the wounded out. most of the folks that are wounded are being taken to the abbott area to a local high school. that's where they're being triaged. they're setting that up as a resource center for people to be evaced to because we are evacuating homes in the area, based on the ongoing danger of the fires that were still there. some are still going on. they got most of them under control. they are trying to move people out and get people evacuated out of that area still. i just talked to my commander, who is on the ground there, in the scene. he's telling me that he has seen extreme devastation in homes, in some of the businesses. they are still getting injured folks out. and they are evacuating people from their homes. at this point, we don't know a number that have been killed. i will confirm there have been fatalities. i think we will see those fatalities increase as we get towards the morning. numerous injuries have been removed from the scene to the hospital. we've taken them into our city limits, into waco, to hillcrest, and providence hospital where they're being treated. hillcrest hospital is our primary trauma care center. the majority of the injured were taken there. the overflow was taken to providence hospital, as well, inside waco. at this time, we are still trying to evacuate some of the homes. we are going house-to-house, business-to-business, and we're seeing quite a bit of devastation in that area. what they're trying to do is move people away, still. they're having to be very cautious because there is structural damage to homes and to businesses. we have to be very cautious because of there being gas lines, gas mains. our utility systems are here. they have entered the area and are cutting off the main flow of gas, natural gas. they're cutting off power so we don't have secondary fire from electricity sparked fires, things along that line. currently, we're still there. many agencies, we're here assisting west p.d. i can tell you that the mayor has been here earlier tonight. he is also a firefighter for this city. it's taken a toll on him because he knows that potentially he's lost some firefighters. i can confirm that there may be firefighters that are unaccounted for and potentially law enforcement officer, as well. we're trying to determine that. they were on-scene, directing traffic and fighting the fire and helping with evacuation. we don't know a hard number of the fatality count. as soon as we get that, we'll get that information to you. they were pulling people out of some of the homes. people were trapped. are they still finding them? i don't know. we did find some earlier. they still are going from house-to-house. and my guess is they're going to find some people still trapped. one more time on the question. i know that they have shut areas of utilities and powers off to, not only the immediate blast area, but other areas that they think might be affected or keep from additional injuries or harm from happening. a lot of that is ongoing. and that is a process i will tell you. there has been a tremendous amount of resources and outpouring from community. not only here in west. those of you who don't know west, it's about 2,800 people. they are a very close-knit, tight-knit community here. they have relied heavily on each other tonight for the support that they've got. they have relied heavily on the outpouring of support from additional agencies in and around the area. i will tell you, we have seen involvement, not only from mclennan county, which is where we are. but we're seeing surrounding agencies from additional counties in and around mclennan county, that are here, as well, helping. there's been a huge outpouring of that. there's a law enforcement command post set up. an incident command post set up. they have hazmat people on scene. they are working with some of the local meteorologists here. we've had strong south winds throughout the night. at some point we're hearing about 7:00 or so in the morning, our winds are going to switch to the north and will continue to be as strong. we're looking at a whole other area that may be affected, once those winds shift. we are still in the process of trying to get people out and get them to help. and also, those that have not been injured, but are affected by the blast, we're trying to get them somewhere where they're safe for the night. and start to get them with resources. what do you say about the fatalities? >> i cannot confirm that. i don't know who the doctor was that confirmed that. >> i know you have questions. instead of hollering, i'll give you the answers i can. let me call so we don't get too crazy here. yes, sir? they were moving people out of the immediate area. i don't know how far-ranging that was. it's my guess at this point they're trying to keep people from coming in to the area. absolutely for safety reasons because we don't know yet. we haven't been able to assess totally the damage and what potential harm may lay there. yes, sir? >> i know there was a small contingent of firefighters that went back into the plant, based on there being a fire burning underneath several tanks that they were very concerned about. if those catch or get to a flash point, those would go. and we'd have second or third explosions. they had that fire under control. and i don't think that's a problem. >> we heard the city manager is unaccounted for. can you verify that? >> i can't verify that. the mayor is here. he didn't say anything about that. i cannot verify that. i don't know that, sir. >> a lot of us are going to keep you ask. why did you hesitate to say -- what's going on behind the scenes? >> the abundance of caution in what? >> of not identifying the number. >> because we don't know. we don't know the numbers yet. they're pulling victims out. bringing victims to triage. until we have a good estimate, we don't want to guess. we want to be specific with you and give you facts, not guess. >> i can tell you, when i got here, my first assignment was to go into the immediate area to the command post. they moved me after i got there. but on the way in, i can tell you that i saw homes that were burning. there were homes that had significant devastation, based on windows blown out. bricks pulled off, siding pulled off. some homes were leveled. it was almost tornadic in effect. one home would be fine. but next to it, extreme devastation. >> at this moment, are more than zero confirmed dead? >> yes. i'm telling you have confirmed fatalities. >> how many? >> i'm not confirming a number. there are confirmed fatalities. >> are the confirmed fatalities from ems? >> ems, fire. let me make sure i'm clear on that. we know fire was there. we know law enforcement was there, assisting with traffic. and i believe there were ems. i have -- i've -- i'll tell you this. but i have not verified. i heard there was a helicopter somewhere on scene. that actually sustained some damage in the blast. i'm working to confirm that, as well. i don't know for sure that's a fact or not. >> any indication of the cause of the fire? >> no. at this point, we don't know. that is something we'll look at is whether that was a criminal activity. or whether it was just a fire that got sparked from some type of chemical reaction. air quality is a concern. there are people that are well-versed on what that issue may be. they're looking at the weather events going on around us. where the cloud may drift. what potentially is in that cloud. and what may or may not cause harm. that's something they're working on to let us know. we know what's coming. and they have evacpluation plan they're going to broaden based on what we know. >> we don't know. you have to understand this is a downtown area. and when i say downtown area, there are business there's. there are apartments. a nursing home was there. there are homes in the area. it is going into a mid-sized city and having to search it home-by-home, business-by-business, block-by-block. it is a very tedious process. they have to be extremely careful. the reason, utilities have been shut off. we don't want anyone else injured. stepping on live wires. that's what they're having to be cautious about at this point. >> i know there were numerous people injured at the nursing home. most of those were in the process of being evacuated. i don't have confirmation whether there was actually a kill from the emergency -- one more time. hold up just a second, guys. i do not. yes, sir? >> how broad is the damage in square blocks? can you give us an estimate on how many structures are levelled? >> i cannot. not probably until morning will we know the true devastation about what occurred. if you haven't seen the video, you saw how -- if you have seen the video, you saw how dramatic the explosion was. it was a huge explosion. and depending on what was around it, what the structures were, the concussion, the effects of the explosion, could be far-ranging. yes, sir? one more time. crosses in the house -- i'm being told that those are used by the ground teams to clear houses. i don't know the significance of the colors at this point. one more question. i don't know at this point. hopefully in the morning we will be able to give you much more detail on how far-reaching it was. i will get back with you, as we have new information. i will tell you, i appreciate you all being here and waiting for this information. i know you're wanting to get to where maybe you can see more. i ask that you not because it is not safe. i'm telling you, it is not safe for you to go there. please, remain here with us. and as we can, we're coming out and giving you bits and pieces. >> 2:26 local time there in texas. we continue to follow the explosion at a fertilizer plant in texas. we'll continue, of course, to update you on the latest. we just heart from sergeant william swanson. the items to watch at this moment, based on what he said moments ago. fatalities confirmed. they are still trying to understand the magnitude of those fatalities. injuries, the numbers have varied. 50 to 70. we've heard upwards of 100, depending on the report. looking forward, this is one of the concerns that you heard some of the reporters asking. and that's the issue of hydrous ammonia and the affects it has on the area and those injured. and they're looking at the weather patterns. the reason they're looking at weather patterns is, of course, in fighting the smoldering fires and a possible cloud. you heard sergeant william swanson, moments ago, being careful how to address the issue of hydrous ammonia. there were tanks they were trying to protect early in the evening. 7:50 p.m. local time. when the tanks exploded, causing this, perhaps, large explosion that we're talking about, that measured 2.1 on the richter scale. were there gases that went up into the air? and how were they going to address the problems that would result from that? if you're just join us on msnbc. breaking news. we're watching what's happening in west, texas, the town of west, texas. 2,800 people. the press briefing, the news briefing we just heard from, as sergeant william swanson was describing to us. a close-knit town. he was from waco. he had come to west, texas, to assist, as many others had from around the surrounding area. and they were saying, they've had enough help from the area, that have arrived to assist. i want to go straight to a piece of sound. this from a young eyewitness and perhaps victim of this explosion. let's listen to that for a bit. >> i just saw the explosion. and after that, i took off running. and then, i saw the rest home. and people, you know, were buried under the rest home. the rest home was gone. yeah. just evacuating the rest home. helping them, you know, getting the critical ones to the hospital here. >> talk about the nursing home. >> it was gone. the school's gone. the apartments are gone. it's horrible. >> how did you get the scars on your face and the shirt the way it looks? >> i was actually out in front of the intermediate school, right next to the fertilizer plant, across the railroad tracks. me and my friends were looking at the fire. out of nowhere -- i'm sitting in my truck. and, boom. the big explosion. glass went everywhere. as soon as -- i just ran. ran after that. >> so, what are you thinking right now? what's going on in your head? >> i'm in shock from the whole thing. it's crazy. something you never want to deal with. ever. >> all that is from the glass? >> yes. >> what do you hope to come of all this? >> i just hope that, you know, for everybody that's, you know, in the hospital right now, that hopefully we can pull back together and build up our community again. >> what do you think is the -- talk more about what you saw. the thing that you've seen. you see that the town you once knew. >> just fire everywhere. and just bodies on the ground. bloody bodies. people in panic. firemen, fire trucks, police cars, filled the town. >> and what did you hear and what did you smell? tell me about the senses. >> it smelled, you know, that ammonia. it was fertilizer. you could smell that in the air. and black smoke. and just a horrible scene. >> there, a young eyewitness describing the horrific scene right after the explosion. and how he was very approximate to where the explosion happened. he was at an intermediate school across the street. charles hadlock remains with us on the ground. charles, you were there listening to sergeant william swanson, as he gave us the latest. just six or seven minutes ago. the questions that were asked of him and if we were to be there, as well, would be what is next? what are they concerned about? for those that are just joining us, the question might be, this ammonia. this anhydrous ammonia, that hugs the ground and can be pushed on. watching the weather patterns, as you were describing earlier. the question is, what will be next? and how will they be dealing with that danger? >> the good news, richard, is that the plant is on the north side of town. and the winds are from the south. any of the smoke or ammonia fumes that may linger in that area will be blown off to the north. and the winds are very strong, as been reported all night long. it's about 20 miles per hour, gusting to 35. so, that will help break up the cloud out of there. it's hard to tell at night what's going on. but ammonia is a lighter than air. but colorless gas. it's very pungent. you could smell it as soon as you come in contact with it. this is not the first explosion in texas with anhydrous amoan ya. some 66 years ago, there was a tremendous explosion in the port of texas city. a ship called the grand camp caught on fire. and just like today, a lot of people came out to the docks to watch the fire and watch the firefighters fight the flames. and the grand camp blew up. that explosion killed thousands of people. but it wasn't over. the next day, the fire was burning. airplanes were circling, looking at the damage. and a second ship, "the high flier" blew up. both ships contained anhydrous ammonia. it's a dangerous product. but a necessary product. this is a farming community. and that's why the plant is here. >> charles hadlock. live in west, texas. you're watching msnbc. we'll have more after this. m on.