| 5/25/2005
The Associated Press |
PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) — The Army's Chemical Materials Agency said Wednesday it is investigating recent fires at chemical weapons incinerators in Pine Bluff and in Umatilla, Ore.
Two fires have occurred at the Pine Bluff facility and three in Oregon. The agency said all of the fires occurred while processing drained M55 rockets that had held GB nerve agent.
"There was never any danger
of any agent release to the environment and no personnel have been injured,"
a statement from the Chemical Materials Agency said. The statement said explosive
containment rooms and other safeguards worked properly.
"The robust design, involving extra-thick steel-reinforced concrete walls, deluge fire-suppression systems and cascading-air ventilation has kept everyone safe. While these anomalies are planned for in our plant design, recent frequency of fires has given rise to the agency performing a comprehensive investigation," said Michael Parker, Director of the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency.
The Oregon fires occurred on April 7, April 23 and May 18. Pine Bluff had similar fires on May 11 and May 22. The agency said other sites have experienced similar fires but the frequency of fires in Arkansas and Oregon has raised questions.
"The current frequency might be indicative of a potential change in something in the stockpile. At this point, we don't know what it is or if the frequency will continue. But we still need to investigate and get to the bottom of any issue that could affect our ability to safely destroy the weapons or to maintain confidence within our communities," Parker said in Wednesday's statement.
Parker said the review will look at the explosive containment rooms and the rocket parts. The review will involve the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Army Armament Engineering & Technology Center, The U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and the operating contractor at the plants.