Explosion At Camp Minden Sparks Emergency Response
Camp Minden, Louisiana Following a magazine explosion of Clean Burning Igniter (CBI) at Camp Minden that occurred on September 29, the National Guard has decided to conduct an emergency 'in place' disposal of 200,000 pounds of CBI along with 40,000 pounds of M6 propellant in three magazines.
The decision was briefed at a town hall meeting with the EPA and LA Department of Environmental Quality reportedly on board with the decision. The decision was based upon a recommendation provided by the Army's Explosive Safety Technical Assistance Visit (TAV) team who assessed the area following the explosion.
The emergency disposal will take place on three days according to the following schedule:
- October 17-20: 820 pounds of CBI outside of magazine #505
- October 22: 114,336 pounds of CBI in magazine #2432
- October 29: 85,594 pounds of CBI plus 40,349 pounds of M6 propellant in magazine #2471
The disposal will be conducted through remote means and involve an open burn of the material. Authorities do not 'expect' a detonation but are preparing for the worst. Air monitoring equipment will be in place to monitor for potential air pollution.
The excess propellant and CBI on-site is being disposed of through a closed incinerator unit. The explosion of the magazine was not connected to the incineration operations but did reportedly occur near the area where the incineration is taking place. It's unclear at this time whether the explosion will impact the schedule of the remaining material awaiting disposal through inceneration.
Related to this story, the former owners and company officials of Explo Systems, the company that is allegedly responsible for creating the situation in the first place, plead NOT GUILTY to federal charges earlier this month. They are accused of lying to get contracts to demilitarize the propellant, storing it unsafely and obstructing inspections.
