| Depot reports small
fire HERMISTON — The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) reported a small fire occurred Wednesday night. Protocol Manager Hal McCune said the fire was similar to the other recent fires, and that there was no harm to workers, the public or the environment. The fire occurred at about 10:14 p.m. Wednesday during the processing of an M55 rocket in explosive containment room B. The rocket’s chemical agent, GB sarin, had been drained and the rocket was being sheared apart before being dropped into an incinerator. As with previous fires, Friday’s blaze occurred in the fifth of seven shears. The explosive containment room was under engineering control so the fire and chemical agent were contained within the room. The rocket was from the same lot of rockets that have caught fire. McCune explained this fire was more intense than previous fires, but the fire suppression system worked correctly to extinguish it. He added officials will conduct a root cause analysis before resuming processing on the B line. The A line, however, will continue to process rockets. |
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