Explosion at Metal Recycling Facility Linked to UXO

Arkoma, Oklahoma a worker at the Taffe Iron and Metal Plant was injured when a munition item he was cutting with a blow torch exploded. The injured worker was rushed to the Fort Smith hospital in nearby Arkansas. The male victim is reportedly in critical condition at the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the explosion. The munition item involved in the incident has been in storage at the recycling facility for almost 15 years along with a pile of approximately 200 other projectiles (155mm and 175mm). The munitions were supposed to be inert but it appears at least one of them was not.

Authorities responding to the incident shut down the plant and evacuated an area one-half mile around the facility as a safety precaution. In addition to the pile of approximately 200 large projectile munitions stored at the facility, authorities found approximately 2,000 rounds of 20mm projectiles in the storage yard of the facility.

The ATF is actively involved in the investigation and the Army has dispatched the EOD team from Fort Sill, Oklahoma to assist in the search for additional live munitions at the plant. Additional technical assistance is being provided by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad and the Fort Smith bomb squad. Authorities are unsure at this time how long the search will take and have not released any data regarding whether or not any of the munitions searched so far have been live.