Posted on 06/01/2009 6:06:21 AM PDT by Daffynition
Two backyard sheds and a metal container in which ammunition was stored caught fire and exploded Sunday in a Reseda neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes, authorities said.
The fire and explosion were reported at 8:43 a.m. in the 19200 block of Ingomar Street. It took firefighters about 90 minutes to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported.
Crews had to douse the flames from about 50 feet away because ammunition continued to go off, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman D'Lisa Davies. According to arriving firefighters, Davies said, it "sounded like thousands of rounds were going off."
Five homes were evacuated. Davies said that the sheds and the container were a short distance from a single-family home and that the owner was on the scene and cooperating with authorities.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I recently completed a move. I live in a rural area and was burning some trash rather than move it. I remembered after the fire started that I had a few rounds of 8mm Mauser in one box.
Didn’t even bother me. I just got around 20 feet away a listened to it explode. No real danger unless you are very close. I have actually been hit by the casing of a .22 which came from exactly the same thing, accidentally burning. It stung just a bit but did no harm. Probably wouldn’t want to get hit in the eye tho.
There’s a freeway running through the yard.
About 25 years ago, my garage caught fire. I had several hundred rounds of ammo in various calibers. There was a whole lot of popping, but no explosions and no projectiles were launched. I didn’t have any powder or primers. The FD said it was no big deal.
Possibly he was a gun-show ammo vendor?
'Round these parts, you'd need permits from seven different agencies for that to occur ........God-Bless the rural life!
See my tag ...... that came from Gator113 during the flu scare. ;-D
That's not a gov't conspiracy for depriving rights, that's retail businesses making sure that their customers can get SOMETHING when they come in, rather than having shelves stripped bare by the first guy who comes in after restocking. It's good business, not bad government.
I’m not so sure...
Didja see that episode of Myth Busters?
To all the hoarders out there though: Happy now?
No way they might crack down on it now. Right?
I think the limit on primers is 10,000 without any particular requirements for fire protection.
I have no idea what the limit is on powder, either “smokeless” or “black”.
If I may offer a more accurate and appropriate headline and subhead:
Ammo Storage Shed in Reseda Burns
Neighborhood Boys Thrilled by all the Popping Sounds.
Ignorant Government Officials Overreact to Harmless Event.
Note that ammo does not "explode" even in the chamber of a gun. The powder burns in a controlled manner.
Also, when an unchambered round discharges due to fire, the heavy bullet moves slowly away, and the lighter casing move more quickly away, but not at any velocity that could do much harm to anyone. Might put your eye out if you were close by, or even sting a bit. But I'd love to see the scene after, and see how many bullets made it out of the structure (zero) and how many casings made it more than 20 feet (few).
I think the limit on primers is 10,000 without any particular requirements for fire protection.
I have no idea what the limit is on powder, either “smokeless” or “black”.
Some states (like Mass.) have ammo storage limits.
Your local fire code may have powder storage limits.
DING!DING!DING! We have a winner!
Perfect!
I guess I'm one, except that I've been hoarding collecting ammo for about the last .... OHHHH.... 20 years and no, I'm still not satisfied.
I don't hoard. I stockpile. Just like I do food and other essentials.
Damn, sorry to hear that.
They are just trying to get you accustomed to hearing that so it is no big deal when they actually try to implement it, most people will think it’s not a big deal.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.