FIRE CAUSE UNKNOWN

Published: APRIL 12, 2005

HERMISTON - Cause unknown.

That's what officials at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility are saying about the fire in the B line Explosive Containment Room on Thursday.

According to Rick Kelley, public affairs for Washington Group International, the contractor who runs the facility, a root cause analysis was conducted over the weekend and the cause of the fire could not be determined.

"All the equipment was operating properly," Kelley said. "We can't determine the cause."

The Anniston, Ala. facility had a similar incident last month and could not determine the cause of their fire either, Kelley said.

Last Thursday evening, an empty GB rocket was being chopped into eight pieces before being sent to the incinerator caught on fire at the fifth chop near the motor end of the rocket. A fire suppression system put out the blaze, causing little damage to the room, Kelley said.

The initial fire was between 90 - 120 seconds, Kelley says. The energetics, the explosive component of the rocket, was on fire for up to 10 minutes.

Parts of the conveyor system burned in the fire. The fire suppression starved the ECR of oxygen by sealing off the room. Oxygen couldn't get in the room to feed the fire, says Mary Binder, public
affairs for the U.S. Army.

Kelley said crews made 13 DPE (Demilitarization Protective Ensemble suits) entries to do repairs, clean-up, and replace parts in the ECR. The rail guide, pusher arm, several sensors on the rocket conveyor, the collar stop (which stops the rocket right before the shear blade) and several cables and hoses were replaced.

Although the shear blades were not dull, the blades were replaced as it had already done 2,350 cuts and blades are replaced at 2,500 cuts.

Kelley said it was amazing there wasn't more damage in the ECR. "There was a rocket already punched and drained and waiting to be brought forward," Kelley said. "It didn't ignite."

UMCDF employees immediately shut off the hydraulic liquid to the system, says Kelley. "It could have been a source (of fire)," Kelley said.

This isn't the first time a fire has started on the B line at UMCDF. In November, the slide gate caught on fire. The fire occurred in the area where, after a rocket is drained, it is sliced and dropped into an incinerator to be destroyed. A nozzle sprays a strong jet of water onto the blade to prevent sparks from catching.

The nozzle was deflected during a slice. When UMCDF workers saw on video the nozzle was deflected, they stopped the process. After determining that water was still being sprayed onto the blade, work continued.

Unfortunately, the water wasn't enough to stop the small fire from occurring. A deluge system put out the November fire.

Binder says that knowing something like the fire could happen is why the Army and WGI are so safety-conscious.

"All systems were functioning," Binder said. "We had it (a similar incident) happen at Johnson Island. Knowing it could happen is why the safeguards are in place."