Five fires have occurred at two chemical weapons disposal facilities in the United States during recent weeks, and the Chemical Materials Agency launched an investigation Wednesday to determine the cause.

All of the incidents stem from the destruction of M55 rockets containing GB nerve agent, which also are stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot. Weapons disposal has not yet begun at the depot; however, the rockets will be destroyed first, said Dick Sloan, public affairs officer for Blue Grass Chemical Activity.

"We are going to destroy our rockets and at the present time, the CMA is looking at using the same process," Sloan said.

The rockets are being destroyed at Arkansas and Oregon sites by a robotic processing machine that drains the nerve agent from the rocket and then cuts it into eight pieces. No humans come into contact with the rockets during this process and all action is monitored on a closed-circuit television, Sloan said.

Three fires have occurred while processing rockets at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Oregon and two have occurred during the same process at the Pine Bluff facility in Arkansas.

The CMA along with the U.S. Army will be investigating the cause of these fires over the next few weeks by examining the propellant and associated rocket parts.

"Until they know the cause, they can't address it other than slowing down production, stopping and examining everything and checking the propellant to make sure it hasn't been degraded," Sloan said. "There could be a number of causes. I personally feel that this problem will be solved by the time we get to the point where we're destroying them."

Lt. Col. George Shuplinkov, commander of Blue Grass Chemical Activity, also is confident that the CMA's investigation will improve the rocket disposal process making the procedure much safer by the time it is implemented at the depot.

"I know that CMA is putting every resource available toward discovering the cause and how to prevent it,"
he said. "It could result in our taking preventative measures before the demilitarization plant is constructed. Of course, safety of the workers and the community is our number one concern."

One alternative being studied is the separation of the
M55 rocket motor from the warhead before destruction operations begin. The concept of separating the rocket motors has been under consideration for the past several months by the Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant design team as a way of improving operations and reducing overall costs. It will now be pursued more vigorously as a potential risk-reduction measure.

"Since the current design for the Blue Grass neutralization plant calls for the same type of rocket shear equipment in use at the incineration facilities (in Arkansas and Oregon), we are exploring alternatives to reduce the risk of possible similar incidents occurring once the Blue Grass plant becomes operational," said Mickey Morales, public outreach manager for Bechtel-Parsons Blue Grass.

The possibility of a fire and/or detonation during M55 rocket processing was recognized during the design of the Chemical Weapons Disposal Facilities (CWDFS) and Explosive Containment Rooms (ECR). These rooms are specifically designed to safely contain such events.

The walls are made of thick steel and are reinforced by concrete walls in order to keep fire or chemical agents from spreading.

In all cases where a recent fire occurred, the ECR functioned as designed, according to a statement released by Michael Parker, CMA director.

"Safety is the cornerstone of our program," Parker said. "The best way to protect the public remains the ultimate disposal of these weapons, which is the operation of these facilities. We've had these situations before and we've learned from them. The current frequency might be indicative of a potential change in something in the stockpile. 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."

Ronica Brandenburg can be reached at rbrandenburg@ richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.