Eerily similar circumstances, I remember the West, TX event, but the more I read about how it happened, it was people living next to a large amount of explosive material with little to no regulation. According to investigations afterwards, it was entirely preventable.
As you say, "eerily similar". Even worse, there are hundreds of marginally regulated plants like that all over this country and rather than staffing up for more thorough inspection and regulation states and municipalities are cutting regulatory funding and reducing staffs. Apparently human lives are cheaper than regulating hazardous activities.
