Fertilizer Plant Explosion Near Waco, Texas

Video Shot By Derrick Hurtt



The heart-stopping moment of the devastating explosion in West, Texas, was captured on video by a man close by, one of several videos displaying the sheer terror from the blast.



The blast at a fertilizer plant at 7:50pm local time on Wednesday has left as many 15 people dead, hundreds injured and caused a nursing home to collapse, trapping residents inside.



A resident in the small Texas town, Derrick Hurtt, had parked his car to observe the fire at the plant earlier in the night and was filming the structure as it was engulfed in flames.



Suddenly, something sparked a massive blast, causing flames to shoot into the sky, rocking the family's car as the terrified father and his 12-year-old daughter Khloey tried to scramble to safety.



'Dad, I can't hear,' Khloey screamed out in agony after the explosion.



'Get out of here. Please get out of here. Daddy, please get out of here,' the child kept repeating in the terrifying audio.



When the short YouTube clip began, the father was filming the large fire that was burning about 250-300 yards away at the plant.



He sounds relatively calm as he observes the direction of the wind and its strength.



For about 30 seconds, he captures the burning structure but is totally unaware for the danger that awaits.



Suddenly a massive blast occurs and footage shows flames exploding into the sky and toward the direction of the family's car.



Shaken by the explosion, the father scrambles to turn his car around and drive in the opposite direction.



Khloey is heard pleading with the father to leave and get to safety.



Speaking to the Today show this morning, Mr Hurtt described the scene of the explosion as 'horrific.'



He told host Matt Lauer: 'There was probably double-digit people standing in front of me videoing that were closer than I was, and after the blast, they were nowhere to be seen.'



Mr Hurtt added that the force of the blast lifted his truck off the ground, and sent him on top of his daughter. He said: 'Things just kind of went black for a moment.'



He said that Khloey and his inner ears are 'a little sore,' but their full hearing has returned.



Other West citizens took to the streets in the wake of the explosion, many unclear of what had actually happened.