SOME residents were allowed to return to their homes over the weekend to take a first look at the damage caused by a deadly blast at a Texas fertiliser blast.

Authorities set strict rules for those let back into the area, only allowing access to some streets for them to retrieve belongings, and a 7pm curfew was set for those who stayed overnight.

"If they want to stay, it's at their own risk," said Steve Vanek, a West City Council member, who warned of the hazards of broken glass and nails and limited access to water and electricity.

The fire and ensuing explosion at West Fertilizer Co on Wednesday night flattened sections of the town.

It gutted an apartment complex, demolished 50 houses and battered a nursing home and several schools. Dozens more homes were damaged.

Authorities said the death toll was 14, with 200 people injured.

Most of the confirmed dead were emergency workers who attended the initial fire and were killed by the blast, which was big enough to register as a magnitude 2.1 earthquake.

Crews were working to restore running water to downtown businesses, and tractor trailers hauled portable classrooms into town for displaced students. Authorities have said there was no indication of foul play, although the investigation into the blast continues.

Donald Adair, owner of the plant's parent company, Adair Grain Inc, said on Friday he was heartbroken about the losses suffered by so many families in the community.

The plant was last inspected for safety in 2011, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The company, which has fewer than 10 employees, had provided no contingency plan to the EPA for a major explosion or fire. It told the EPA in 2011 a typical emergency at the facility, which holds anhydrous ammonia, could mean a small gas release.

The EPA fined the firm $2300 (£1500) in 2006 for failing to implement a risk management plan.