PINE BLUFF — A small flame ignited Saturday in the explosives containment room for the weapons-destruction program at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, but officials said no chemical agents were released.

A control room operator heard a fire alarm at 4:06 a.m. Saturday, a news release said. The flame burned several minutes after the deactivation furnace’s tipping gate was opened. No rockets were under processing at the time and no employees or local residents were harmed, officials said.

“The cause of the event appears to be the ignition of residue material near the hopper area. The hopper is the container that holds sheared rocket pieces before they are released into the deactivation furnace,” said Mark Greer, acting project manager. “Operations will resume after all systems have been checked, and it is determined that it is safe to proceed.”

This story was published Sunday, November 13, 2005.