By Gabe Gutierrez, Nery Ynclan, and Christina Caron
NBC News
WEST, Texas — In the small, close-knit town of West, if you slow down and pull over, the driver behind you will ask if you need help or directions. So it’s no surprise that when off-duty Dallas firefighter Capt. Kenny Luckey Harris found out smoke was rising from the West Fertilizer Co., he rushed over to help his hometown.
“He was worried the volunteer guys wouldn’t be safe on a chemical fire,” said Ronnie Janek, a fellow Dallas firefighter, and close friend of Harris. “He said he had to help them stay safe.” But Harris, 52, had only been at the West Fertilizer Co., for about five minutes when the plant exploded Wednesday, generating a blast so strong people felt their homes rock 90 miles away.
Several blocks away, Harris’ wife, Holly Harris, felt the impact. “It was almost like more a pressure from the bottom up and the windows and the glass just blew, and then all the ceiling fell in on us and stuff was everywhere and you just start running,” she said. “That’s the only thing you know to do.”
Full story: ‘He’d do it again': family of Dallas firefighter who died in Texas blast shares his story
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