Two days after a deadly explosion ripped through the small Texas town of West , Sgt . W. Patrick Swanton found himself carefully picking through the debris of damaged homes looking for lost pets . Swanton , a public information officer with the Waco Police Department , rushed to the town soon after the explosion , helping staff at the command post . The April 17 blast at the West Fertilizer Co. killed 14 people and injured more than 200 . Hundreds were rescued or evacuated throughout the night . Then last Friday , he and a small team of animal control officers were helping rescue animals left behind in the chaos . Some were found wandering among the crumbled ruins . Others remained in their pens and cages , hungry and thirsty . At one point , Swanton walked up to the burned-out shell of what had once been a home . Barely recognizable was the wreckage that had once been a washing machine and dryer . Bricks were still falling . As he approached the foundation , he became aware of a white dove settled in the ruins . `` She let me get within 2-3 feet of her , '' Swanton said . `` It was so peaceful . To me it was a symbol of hope . '' Swanton snapped several photos of the dove and posted them to the Facebook page he runs for the Waco Police Department . Before and after : Texas plant explosion . `` She brought an absolute peace to a place of sheer destruction , '' he wrote on the page . `` Keep the faith . '' The images were shared more than 2,000 times . With a population of 2,800 , West is a small town . When people face such destruction , the animal side of the story takes on a whole new meaning , said Angela Clendenin , spokeswoman for the veterinary emergency team at Texas A & M University . She and 17 others staffed two mobile veterinary clinics , including a surgical suite and a field services truck to assist in the rescue efforts led by Swanson and other first-responders . They treated animals of all kinds , she said , including a bearded dragon lizard , chickens and pigs . Some were treated and released to the Humane Society of Central Texas . Three with more serious injuries were sent to area veterinarians . She described one situation where an officer on patrol in the blast zone spotted a cat in the attic window of an evacuated home . He rescued it and brought it to the clinic at 4 a.m. `` It spoke volumes to the commitment of the officers , '' Clendenin said . One pet owner sought out the rescuers to thank them for their efforts . Swanton said two animal control officers , Joel Sanchez and Louis Leyva , had sat down at the end of the day , trying to collect their thoughts . Suddenly a `` mountain of a man '' appeared and demanded to know which one of them was Louis , Swanton said . Leyva tentatively looked up and identified himself . `` I just want you to know you found my boxer , '' the man bellowed , describing how he 'd believed there was little hope of the dog 's rescue because of its aggressive nature . Louis then described how he had gently spoken to the boxer and easily gotten a leash on the dog . The man grabbed the officer in a big hug , while his wife tearfully thanked the group , Swanton said . Some of the 75 animals sent to the Humane Society have been reunited with their owners , but Swanton noted : `` It 's a long road to hope . It 's a long road to recovery . But this town is going to come back stronger and better . ''
Animals rescued in the days following the blast included pigs , chickens . Pets were treated at mobile clinics from Texas A & M . The explosion occurred on a busy road near an elementary school and killed two people and injured more than 100 others.