The town of West came together Thursday night for a candlelight vigil to recognize the victims of a massive fertilizer plant explosion just one day ago.
"It's bad; pretty bad," said lifelong West, Texas resident Charlie Ferguson about the explosions that rocked his town Wednesday night. "Shook up everybody."
Ferguson, 75, told NBC 5 he has no idea when he will be allowed to return to his home. His home, like so many others, was damaged by the blasts from the West Fertilizer Plant.
Ferguson is staying where he works, at the West Church of the Assumption - the site of a multifaith service for all West victims.
"It's gonna be tough," said Colton Adams, 16, about the emotions he was expecting to deal with at the vigil. Adams came to the service with a group of his friends, including Mason Smith, 15, who is staying with Adams because he can't return to his house.
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"No. I wasn't at home when [the explosions] happened. And I haven't been home since," Smith said.
Ferguson, Smith and Adams were just three of the hundreds who attended the vigil.
Each person came with their own story to tell. Some lost loved ones. Many lost their homes. And all felt the need to be together.
"The world is praying for West, TX," one of the many clergy members, representing several of the community's churches, told the crowd as their faces were lit by flickering candles.
"I think it's a common communion to honor people we all loved and respected," said Mimi Montgomery Irwin,of West, about the vigil. "And just a shared need to grieve together."
