Posted on Thu, Jan. 25, 2007

Small blaze erupts at chemical weapons disposal facility

Associated Press

ANNISTON, Ala. - A small fire at a building next to Anniston's chemical weapons incinerator was quickly put out by employees, site authorities said.

Anniston Chemical Activity spokesman Mike Abrams said the fire started shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday in an electrical component controlling a ventilation system for the incinerator and was noticed during a routine test.

Work has temporarily halted at the incinerator pending an investigation. The Army said destruction of VX-filled rockets was suspended while workers performed repairs and safety checks.

Abrams said the weapons incinerator should be up and running again fairly quickly.

Damage from the fire in an overheated capacitor was minimal and the blaze posed no threat to the community or the environment.

"It was a piece of equipment that had been in service for a period of time," Abrams said. "It overheated and it got hot enough to where it flamed a little bit."

The Army began destroying its stockpile of VX chemical nerve agents last July.