Hero of Texas blast now under scrutiny Unexplained disaster: the remains of the fertiliser plant in West on fire after last month's explosion. WEST, Texas: A volunteer paramedic who became a public face of mourning after last month's deadly blast at a fertiliser plant in Texas has denied any involvement in the explosion, his lawyer says. The medic, Bryce Reed, 31, was arrested on Friday on charges he possessed components of a pipe bomb. Hours later, the authorities in Texas said they were opening a criminal investigation into the explosion, which killed 14, injured 200 and destroyed dozens of buildings. He's represented himself as a longtime friend and all that. Unfortunately, that's just not the case. It emerged on Saturday Mr Reed had been dismissed from the Emergency Medical Services two days after the explosion. Bryce Reed: questions about his statements after the tragedy. Law enforcement authorities have not identified Mr Reed as a suspect in the blast, nor have they indicated any link between his arrest and the April 17 explosion. But on Saturday, as people in West continued clearing away debris and patching their homes back together, new questions arose about the grief-stricken emergency medical technician who stepped into the media glare after the explosion. "Mr Reed had no involvement whatsoever in the explosion," his lawyer, Jonathan Sibley, said in a statement. Mr Reed was one of the first responders and lost friends, family and neighbours in that disaster. Mr Reed is heartbroken for the friends he lost, and remains resolute in his desire to assist in the rebuilding of his community. Mr Sibley said Mr Reed would plead not guilty to the bomb-possession charge. Mr Reed's stepfather, Gary Nelson, told the Dallas Morning News there was "not a chance" Mr Reed could be connected to the explosion, and neighbours and local officials said they hoped and prayed that was the case. "I feel very confident that one has nothing to do with the other," said Tommy Muska, West's mayor. But people who knew Mr Reed said his portrayals of himself sometimes seemed at odds with reality. At a public memorial service on April 25, he offered a eulogy for a first responder named Cyrus Reed, referring to the two men as brothers as he described their tight friendship. But Cyrus Reed's father, Mark, said the two men were not related, and his family had not met Bryce Reed until after the blast. "He's represented himself as a longtime friend and all that," Mark Reed said in a telephone interview. For weeks after the explosion, Bryce Reed gave frequent interviews about how he had run towards the fireball to rescue survivors, and spoke extensively about the grief of losing friends. He was identified as a paramedic in reports as recently as May 6, but the authorities said Mr Reed had in fact been "let go" from the West EMS on April 19, two days after the blast. George Smith, the head of West's EMS unit, declined to explain why Mr Reed had been dismissed. "It's tough because most of my guys did truly great work," Dr Smith said. And so did he. He's an excellent paramedic. Neighbours said Bryce Reed spoke of travelling through Dubai and Europe or working at the Pentagon, and once mentioned that he was a SWAT officer in Waco. On his LinkedIn resume, he said he had received a bachelor's degree in nursing from Excelsior College, but Mike Lesczinski, a college spokesman, said Mr Reed had never been a student there. Crystal LeDane, who lives three doors down from Mr Reed, described him as a good neighbour whose stories about himself occasionally perplexed her. Now, she said, she was left with even more questions. None of it adds up.