AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality says its staff is positioned within a quarter mile of a Central Texas fertilizer plant to monitor air quality and other environmental concerns.
The agency issued a statement early Thursday, saying its staff was close to the scene in West at the request of emergency personnel. They were also monitoring environmental conditions outside that perimeter.
Wednesday evening's fire and explosion killed between five and 15 people and injured more than 160 others.
But authorities say the death toll is only an estimate because search and rescue operations are still under way.
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