Update on the Talavera Explosion

Investigation continues in Talavera house explosion

By Jose L. Medina/Sun-News reporter

Article Launched: 11/07/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

LAS CRUCES — On a day when the cause of last month's house explosion was expected to be revealed, investigators instead were back at the blast site armed with a search warrant.

The Oct. 23 explosion destroyed a 4,400-square-foot home valued at $723,000.

The homeowners, Kimberlee and Paul Hering Jr., have hired an attorney who said Thursday he doesn't understand why the warrant was obtained when his clients have been "totally cooperative."

Officials on Thursday disclosed they had asked for the warrant and returned to the scene of the blast at 4852 Deadwood Camp Court, east of Las Cruces in the upscale Talavera neighborhood.

"The search warrant in my opinion was unnecessary," Las Cruces attorney Lyle Wood said, "We've met the investigators out there, I have not personally, but the Herings have met them out there on several occasions and given them free reign to look at whatever they want to."

The Herings, on Wood's advice, have declined to take a polygraph test.

"I believe they are the victims, victims of an accident, an accidental destruction of the property," Wood said.

"They're victims, they have no reason to be treated as suspects or persons or interest, whatever they call them," he added.

The Herings were out of town at the time of the blast. No one was injured, although several adjacent homes sustained damage, officials said. Paul Hering is a former agent of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

Wood said the warrant, served Thursday, is the second obtained by investigators. He did not know what was contained in the first warrant, but the second warrant sought to examine the home's propane lines and the propane tank.

The home, which sits on 1.6 acres, had been up for sale for several months, according to Joe Martin-Howell, the listing agent with Steinborn GMAC Realty. In addition to the home, a large RV, valued at $350,000, was completely destroyed.

County officials were closed-mouth as to whether the Herings were now suspects in the blast and would not elaborate further beyond issuing a news release.

"The (news) release says everything that I'm allowed to say," county spokesman Jess Williams said.

Williams earlier said the cause of the blast could be revealed as early as Thursday. Since that didn't happen, the cause won't be disclosed until the latest evidence is processed.

The site still is considered a crime scene until foul play can be ruled out.

The Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department has been heading up the investigation, with assistance from several state and federal agencies, including the FBI.

Jose Medina can be reached at jmedina@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5447

A 2:30 explosion rocked the neighborhood

15 minutes after the explosion. The home is burning. Emergency vehicles are still arriving, and thru binoculars, it is clear that the walls were totally knocked down from the explosion.

The fire has gotten bigger from what it first was and the smoke keeps turning black. There have been what sounded like a couple of secondary explosions, perhaps as small propane tanks might have exploded.

Water just got turned on the flames. Nobody at home could have survived.

Moments later, (3:06 am), water from the pumper truck arced over the flames from the north.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Update, from the Las Cruces Sun News:

UPDATED: Massive explosion levels home near "A" Mountain, home reportedly owned by former DEA agent (9:36 a.m.)

Sources: home owned by former DEA agent

Sun-News report

Article Launched: 10/23/2008 06:18:59 AM MDT

Investigators rummage through Thursday morning's house explosion... (Photo by Shari Vialpando)

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LAS CRUCES - An early morning explosion leveled a home near "A" Mountain Thursday. The home, according to sources who spoke to the Sun-News on condition of anonimity, is owned by a former Drug Enforcement Agency officer. According to the Dona Ana County Assessor's Web site, the property at 4852 Deadwood Camp Court is listed under the ownership of Paul A. Hering Jr.

No injuries are reported, but the home is a total loss and federal investigators have been called in.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department and the Dona Ana County Fire and Emergency Services Department are on scene and waiting for daybreak to beging investigating the massive home explosion in the Talavera area east of Las Cruces.

No injuries are reported.

The explosion occurred at about 2:30 a.m. at a home on Deadwood Camp Court, according to Dona Ana County Spokesman Jess Williams.

The home was totally destroyed, and some nearby residences also were damaged.

Officials say it is the worst explosion they have seen in recent memory.

Police and fire investigators will conduct a full survey of the blast radius at daylight.

Some nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution while the investigation proceeds. Access to the area is closed.

As is standard in an explosion of this magnitude, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have been notified and may send investigators. The New Mexico State Fire Marshal's Office will be involved in the investigation.

The cause of theexplosion is unknown at this time. The house was unoccupied and for sale. The house was valued at approximately $850,000. There is no fire burning on the scene.

The American Red Cross has been called in to support firefighters and law enforcement personnel on the scene as the investigation unfolds.

Las Alturas, South Valley, New Mexico State University and Talavera Volunteer Fire Departments responded.

Check back throughout the day for more information as it becomes available.

The Las Cruces Sun-News will provide updates as they become available.

And from KFOX in El Paso:

The destruction was said to be immense, with debris scattered over a wide area. A number of surrounding homes also suffered damage as a result of the blast. Despite the damage, there were no reports of injuries, although some neighbors needed to be evacuated as a precaution.

Texas City Anchor

(Last post on Galveston, I promise.)

This anchor is a reminder of the Texas City Disaster in 1947 in which 576 (or 567, or some other number, depending on the source) people were killed in a pair of explosions at the docks.

The Grandcamp caught fire on April 16 at the dock. It was carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer: think Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, but the explosives were in a ship instead of a dinky little rental truck. The Grandcamp also carried fuel, adding more fuel to the fire.

After burning for long enough for fire fighters to respond and townsfolk to come watch, The Grandcamp exploded killing somewhere between 500 and 600 people. Early response was complicated by a phone operator strike, but within a couple hours, surrounding areas had all sent response teams.

The explosion registered seismographically as far away as Denver and blew out windows 40 miles north in Houston. The explosion carried a tugboat 100 feet inland. The resultant tsunami was 15 feet high and flooded the surrounding area.

Of course, the Grandcamp was not the only ship in port, and another nearby ship was also carrying fertilizer, sulphur, and, presumably, fuel. Efforts to steer it away from the Grandcamp were futile, and it exploded early the next day.

There are 2 stories about anchors: in one, a 5-ton anchor was found buried in the ground a half mile from the explosion. In another, a 1.5 ton anchor was found two miles away. The one in the photo above is located in Anchor Park at the base of the Texas City Dike.

This web site has amazing photographs and more of the story:
http://www.texascity-library.org/TCDisasterExhibit/index.html