ARSENAL BATTLES THE HEAT

By Wilson Brown/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday,  June 10, 2005 

Crews used light sprays of water Friday to cool debris from a white phosphorus fire at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in an effort to keep the flammable product from reigniting.

Meanwhile, officials confirmed that about 50 Arsenal workers were moved when flames and thick white smoke suddenly erupted Thursday and that two deputy sheriffs suffered skin irritations during the original fire Monday.

Use of shower-like misters was a change in strategy as the Arsenal deals with the wake of Monday's 17-hour fire that destroyed a warehouse and 7,500 canisters of white phosphorus.

"Flare-ups could happen on the site," Col. Tom Woloszyn, Arsenal commander, said Friday. "They are currently misting on the site."

There were no reports of the blaze reigniting Friday, according to Cheryl Avery, an Arsenal spokeswoman.

"We're being very careful in that area," Woloszyn said Friday. "White phosphorus burns (at) up to 2,000 degrees (Fahrenheit)."

The Arsenal uses the product in incendiary devices and in smoke screening and signals. The Arsenal is the Army's sole supplier of white phosphorus ammunition in the Western Hemisphere.

The chemical catches fire once it comes into contact with air, which made fighting the fire difficult.

Using water cannons on the phosphorus can cause it to reignite, Woloszyn said, since it can "jostle" the phosphorus debris and expose it to the air again. White phosphorus reignites at 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

"We've really got to watch the temperatures," Woloszyn said. "Once one pops there's a chain event, you can see."

Arsenal firefighters let Monday's massive fire and Thursday's reignition burn themselves out after using water cannons to suppress the smoke.

Monday's fire also sparked a fire in woods near the warehouse.

The caretaking operation will continue as long as investigators probe debris to determine the cause of Monday's fire. Arsenal employees cannot remove the debris and clean the site until the investigations are complete, Woloszyn said.

According to the commander, investigators will use thermal readings and infared photography to find out how Monday's blaze started.

An Army accident investigation board and a private firm should finish their work at the site in a few days, Woloszyn said.

A few other warehouses on post have both components of white phosphorus and full projectiles, Woloszyn said, including one that housed "similar components to the warehouse that burned Monday."

"Investigators have checked that warehouse," Woloszyn said.

Two Jefferson County sheriff's deputies complained recently of having skin irritations for an hour on Monday.

Maj. Greg Bolin said he and four other deputies were in squad cars on Arkansas 31 north of Sherrill near Motes Corner on Monday on the lookout for a bank robbery suspect.

Bolin got out of the car while Sgt. Steve McFatridge rolled down one of the car's windows.

McFatridge later told Bolin that his left arm was itching.

"After a few minutes my arms started itching for about an hour," Bolin said. "We could see (the smoke) to the north of us."

The chemical can be potentially dangerous if directly inhaled, according to officials with the Arsenal and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

Prolonged exposure to the smoke can cause mild skin irritations, watery eyes, coughing and a sore throat.

Residents should seek medical attention if the symptoms persist, Arsenal officials said.