Just under a million pounds powder found

[Nightshade]

Police have evacuated a town in northwest Louisiana while they move out around 6 million pounds of illegally stored explosives.

About half of the approximately 800 residents of Doyline, where scenes from HBO's popular "True Blood" series have been filmed, were evacuated Friday after authorities discovered around 1 million pounds of explosive powder stored by Explo Systems Inc. at Camp Minden, a former army ammunition plant.

Authorities moved to evacuate the town of its remaining residents Sunday after discovering up to six times more M6 artillery propellant -- 6 million pounds -- at the site, according to NBC station KTAL in Shreveport.













Police and Explo employees have moved just under 1 million pounds of the explosives into 18-wheelers, and have segregated another 250,000 pounds of the material for future removal, KTAL reported late Sunday.

'Time-consuming' process
In a statement, police said the process was “time-consuming” but so far there had been “no unexpected problems, incidents and injuries.”


The explosives had been improperly stored, officials said. The material should have been housed in a bunker approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and registered with the Louisiana State Police explosives division.

Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton did not expect the evacuation order to be lifted until Tuesday, KTAL reported.

Doyline has shut local schools on Monday and was considering staying shut on Tuesday as well, according to Webster.

Doyline is situated about 270 miles northwest of New Orleans.

Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmunson said that the owners of Explo were in South Korea, but were scheduled to return to the United States on Monday, according to KTAL.

State police said the improperly stored materials were discovered during a follow-up inspection to an Oct. 15 explosion at the Camp Minden property.

Complete US coverage on NBCNews.com

According to its website, Explo “has been demilitarizing / recovering explosives / propellant for over 15 years” and “has a unique, on-site capability for purifying valuable TNT from tritonal for reuse.”

It has operated at Camp Minden for seven years, according to the site.

Phone calls to the Louisiana State Police went unanswered early Monday. The man who answered the phone at the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office said he was not authorized to comment to the media.

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[Stomper]

Wow! There's nothing like living next to a mega-ton (or six) of loosly stored explosives.

 

[Hook686]

Thinking in terms of the first few atomic bombs being in the ten kiloton range, six megatons seems a real frightening amount.

 

[motoman98]

One mega ton is not equal to one million POUNDS.

 

[Spray-n-pray]

One mega ton is not equal to one million POUNDS.

Correct.

Six million pounds = 1 butt load.

 

[motoman98]

Prob closer to 6

 

[KidJavelin]

Kilo=thousand
Mega=million

Yes, six MEGAtons.

 

[Stomper]

One mega ton is not equal to one million POUNDS.

I know that, but if it all went up in catastrophic fashion its merely a technicality for those with the catchers' mitt in the deal...

6,000,000lbs. / 2000lbs. = 3,000 tons = 3-kilotons. Slightly smaller crater, but Grandma's family heirloom china, just as vaporized.

 

[safetyman]

Kilo=thousand
Mega=million

Yes, six MEGAtons.

One megaton = one million tons, not one million pounds. I admire those that work EOD-type jobs. Being anywhere near that place would definitely make me uneasy.

 

[bmgm37]

This info is according to a friend that knows a LOT more than I do about Propellant/Explosives and this is what he said...

"M6 is a propellent not an explosive. Its pretty hard to ignite, burns slower than a candle unless it is contained and is much less dangerous than rifle powder. The stuff looks like bunny chow with grains about an eighth inch in diameter and a quarter inch or more in length. As usual the media is overblowing a situation and the authorities are overreacting. Why should today be any different????"

 

[safetyman]

This info is according to a friend that knows a LOT more than I do about Propellant/Explosives and this is what he said...

"M6 is a propellent not an explosive. Its pretty hard to ignite, burns slower than a candle unless it is contained and is much less dangerous than rifle powder. The stuff looks like bunny chow with grains about an eighth inch in diameter and a quarter inch or more in length. As usual the media is overblowing a situation and the authorities are overreacting. Why should today be any different????"

I wouldn't care how slow it burns, or that it's a propellant instead of an explosive. If I had to work with 6 million pounds of the stuff it would be a big deal to me.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

No matter how you do the math this is way beyond what anyone would want to see go bang. What really hit a nerve with me is this was an operation on our soil ran by a foreign held firm. How is it we allow them to do process and store gunpowder in our country to start with ? Shouldn't the stipulation have been at the minimum that they take the recovered ( propellant ) to their home country for storage ? Solly Cholly ! If go BOOM bettuh you dan mi ,,,, ( sorry couldnt help but drive home a point ) .

 

[Hrethgir]

Kilo=thousand
Mega=million

Yes, six MEGAtons.

No, six megaPOUNDS.

 

[KidJavelin]

One megaton = one million tons, not one million pounds. I admire those that work EOD-type jobs. Being anywhere near that place would definitely make me uneasy.

Color me stupid.

You're absolutely right. Long day bad math on my part.

 

[safetyman]

Color me stupid.

You're absolutely right. Long day bad math on my part.

Either way, its a butt load of propellant!

 

[motoman98]

prob closer to 6
HAHA

 

[Bam]

I'd imagine it would be something like the Pepcon plant explosion...

PEPCON Explosion - YouTube

 

[MarkAd]

10 Spot Terminator your ignorance is exceeded only by your poor attemps at humor.

What really hit a nerve with me is this was an operation on our soil ran by a foreign held firm.

The owners were in South Korea expected to return home Monday. They are not South Korean.
the company website shows the company officers
David Fincher
President/Owner

David A. Smith, PE
Vice-President/Owner

Terry Wright
Vice-President Operations

Ferris Callihan, PE
Director Support Technology

They are a Veteran Owned Company according to thier website. As for the story it is the mainsteam media.How complete is it?

 

[akmewon]

I'd imagine it would be something like the Pepcon plant explosion...

PEPCON Explosion - YouTube

man i lived in vegas when that blew up it rattled the whole freakin town....took out the marshmellow plant next door too.

 

[Wolvee]

So transporting it to other locations off a military base designed to hold munitions is better than leaving it where it was, giving a fine to the company that stored it there and ordering them to move the excess? Doesn't make sense to me.

Logic is redefined when the camera is turned on.



Now if you of the dill weeds gets injured or is killed from their own mistake during transport someone will be on the hook for their death or injuries.