West, Texas, Residents Begin Return Home

Deliberate action is ruled out as a cause of the explosion

Displaced families left stranded since a Texas fertilizer plant explosion began making the sad journey back to their battered homes Saturday, while officials investigating the blast ruled out criminality as an impetus for the tragic disaster.

Authorities gave the much-awaited OK, allowing eager and anxious West, Texas, residents, previously packed in a hotel, to begin returning to their homes, although only under a curfew and strict warnings to not wander beyond their own yards.

Emergency workers had previously told residents—waiting for updates about their neighborhood—that leaking gas tanks were causing small fires near the blast site, keeping authorities from lifting blockades.