The Preserve Journal  On the Road.   West, Texas

On April 17th of this year all hell broke loose in the Central Texas town of West when the West Fertilizer plant blew up leaving nothing but twisted metal and tons of rubble.  The explosion which killed 15 including 12 first responders simply caused the plant to disappear in a fiery blast heard and felt for miles around Texas.

The West Fertilizer plant was important to this town of 2800 and the loss of the plant and 15 of it's finest men was devastating.  Today, there is nothing much of the plant to see.  The buildings are gone, the storage silos damaged beyond recognition, rubble piled up on either side the road at the eastern part of town.

The town of West survives.  The people have fought back.  The Old Czech Bakery is still serving up the best  kolaches this side of the Atlantic.  While driving through this small community just off Interstate 35 things seem pretty normal until you drive over near the plant or you see foundations where houses once were.  The weekly cattle auction on the west side of I 35 goes on every Thursday per schedule. 

Now it has been said that the town will not receive the amount of aid that was originally promised by Washington, but that is an ongoing story and we haven't heard the end of it.  So here's to West. and the townspeople who are turning around that terrible day.  If you are driving down I 35 in Texas one day, get off the highway at West and enjoy the best koloaches anywhere.