According to the National Weather Service, a large bunker explosion
occurred Monday night in Webster Parish, La., around 30 miles east of
Shreveport. The event occurred near the border of the Camp Minden Army
ammunition plant. "A large flash was observed," the Shreveport, La., National Weather Service reported.
"[C]itizens were shaken out of bed and windows were shattered during
the late night hours Oct. 15." The explosion occured shortly before
11:28 p.m.
The explosion sent a mystery object flying that was captured by radar
in Shreveport. Speculation this morning focused on the possibilities of
UFO's and meteors before the confirmation of the bunker explosion was
released.
note: IF this was truly a bunker explosion, then they would have been upfront with the sheriff and the town about it, right after it occurred. This is NOT the case though; it took more than 13 hours after the explosion for the military to cook up the "bunker explosion" story; after first denying that it had anything to do with the base.
The Shreveport Times reports: The state police hazardous materials unit has completed its on-site
investigation and the findings have been turned over to headquarters in
Baton Rouge for further review. Troop G spokesman Matt Harris is
uncertain when the results will be released publicly.
The outcome of the investigation will dictate any enforcement action. “We won’t know what violations, if any, until it’s all completed,” Harris said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also is involved in the probe.
Meanwhile, the blast site has been turned over to Camp Minden officials for cleanup, which is under way.
"I
honestly thought we were being bombed," Mealey said of the explosion at
an Explo Systems bunker, also known as an igloo, in Webster Parish. "It
was the scariest thing I've ever been through."
Mealey
was checking some last-minute emails before going to bed when she felt
an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach — like a rolling thunder in the
distance. "It was getting closer and closer, and I felt everything
moving with me," the mother of two said. "I could literally feel it
moving toward me."
The
explosion shook her house, shattering a lead window and blowing out its
frame. Her husband, Darin, awakened. And the two ran to comfort their
children, Piper, 10, and Aidan, 12. "They were terrified," Mealey said.
They
weren't the only ones. Webster 911 received the first call at 11:26
p.m. Then the lines didn't stop ringing for hours. Additional
dispatchers had to be summoned to handle the call volume.
But by daybreak, the source was traced to a more earthly cause — a
bunker loaded with explosives and leased by Explo Systems Inc. exploded
in the L-1 area toward the central eastern part of Camp Minden.
The
facility, formerly the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, consists has
bunkers scattered throughout its predominantly wooded 15,000 acres.
Terry
Wright, Explo's vice president of operations, said an investigation
into the cause of the explosion is ongoing. He declined speculation
Tuesday morning until all facts are known. Multiple attempts to obtain
further comment from Wright later in the day were unsuccessful.
The
probe is headed up by the Louisiana state police's hazardous materials
unit, Troop G spokesman Matt Harris said. As for why no one could
confirm the source of the blast until early Tuesday morning, he said,
two factors came into play. Number 1, it was nighttime and the site was
not readily visible. And, Number 2, the moisture level in the ground
because of recent rains allowed the explosives to burn out "real quick"
and snuffed out any spot fires.
The bunkers, which also are referred to as magazines, are scattered in secluded areas.
They
were built decades ago, when Camp Minden was home to the ammunition
plant, to act as storage for the explosive materials used on site.
Because
they've been there so long, most of the bunkers blend into the scenery
and only appear as hills or slight earthen bumps in the woods. All are
concrete-reinforced and designed so that damage to adjacent areas would
be minimal should a worst-case scenario such as an explosion occur.
"They did what they were designed to do," Webster sheriff's Chief Deputy Bobby Igo said of the blast that sent debris upward.
Webster
Sheriff Gary Sexton was returning from vacation in Colorado when he saw
two flashes about two to three seconds apart as he entered the parish.
"It was pretty unique," said meteorologist Jeff Hood of the Weather Service office in Shreveport.
The explosion was so powerful that it could be seen on the Weather Service's radar maps.
Normally,
Hood said, these types of images aren't picked up by the radars unless
it is something like a large forest fire. "It had to be intense for us
to see it."
By all
accounts, Hood said, the radar images support that the bunker exploded
just as it should, going straight up out of the structure.
East
Camden Highland Railroad maintains about 2,400 railroad cars throughout
Camp Minden, about 80 of which were in the vicinity of the blast,
general manager Bo Guice said. "We have some damage to railcars, but we
haven't been in to look. We won't until (Wednesday)."
No
injuries were reported to Webster 911, and damage was limited to a few
shattered windows and items falling from walls, Sexton said.
Several historic buildings in downtown Minden are among those with broken windows.
"Our
concern is the safety of the people of the parish," Sexton said. "It
eases my mind to stand here and tell you everything is fine, and the
igloos are working."
The explosion and ensuing mystery as to its origin also brought out the humor and creativity of those rattled by the blast.
note: What concerns me, is the fine detail of the report they have from the military about this... (Oh Yeah... it DID take them more than 13 hours to formulate the story, after first denying it completely) Also, notice the reference to UFOs so they can ridicule that idea. ...Gee, what happened to the proverbial "weather balloon" explanation. Could it have been a weather balloon that exploded? That would have been an easier story to formulate in much less than 13 hours...