The Houston division of The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives released a statement on Wednesday calling the explosion a criminal act.

The ATF has also issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading the arrest of the person or persons who caused the fire and explosion.

On April 17th, 2013, at 7:29pm, a fire was reported at the West, Texas, Fertilizer Plant. 22 minutes later, the building exploded, killing 15 people. 12 of them were volunteer first responders. The explosion injured over 300 others.

Also, according the the statement released on the ATF website, the explosion destroyed 500 homes in the area and left a crater 93 feet wide and 12 feet deep.

Robert Elder of the ATF said in a video statement "These individuals were people serving their community in a volunteer capacity. They are true community servants. They lost their life serving their community and deserve the best we can give them."

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