[Idaho] Explosive Disposal Operation Sparked Range Fire, Flames Quickly Spread

[LouC]

Explosive Disposal Operation Sparked Range Fire, Flames Quickly Spread

The Range Fire near Boise, sparked by detonated munitions, has burned 26,922 acres.

BOISE, Idaho — The wildfire south of Boise that led to evacuation notices Thursday evening began after a military team detonated unexploded munitions.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Idaho said Friday that the Range Fire has burned 26,922 acres, making it the largest wildfire of this fire season.

A BLM spokesperson told KTVB Friday evening that the estimated containment of the fire has been pushed back to 6 p.m. Saturday and is expected to be controlled around Sunday, Aug. 3. Initially, the containment was estimated for 8 p.m. Friday, and the fire is expected to be controlled sometime Saturday, Aug. 2.

The fire began just before 4 p.m. Thursday at the Orchard Combat Training Center, a large military training site about 18 miles south of Boise. A National Guard spokesperson said local law enforcement asked a Mountain Home Air Force Base unit to detonate a tank round and a grenade.

KTVB

First off, the Boise area, here in the Beautiful Treasure Valley has been suffering drought conditions, so everything is dry and brittle and just one spark away from being a raging inferno.

Second, and some who follow Red's Good Morning Thread will know that I posted on Wednesday that the Beautiful Treasure Valley was under a RED FLAG ADVISORY starting at 2:00 PM on Thursday, yet those morons decide to ignore every sane and rational move to not cause a major wildfire.

Third...Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

 

[Grand Mal]

First off, the Boise area, here in the Beautiful Treasure Valley has been suffering drought conditions, so everything is dry and brittle and just one spark away from being a raging inferno.

Second, and some who follow Red's Good Morning Thread will know that I posted on Wednesday that the Beautiful Treasure Valley was under a RED FLAG ADVISORY starting at 2:00 PM on Thursday, yet those morons decide to ignore every sane and rational move to not cause a major wildfire.

Third...Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

I'm guessing someone has had his last promotion.

 

[LouC]

I'm guessing someone has had his last promotion.

Lord knows I hope so!

 

[Roadvirus]

First off, the Boise area, here in the Beautiful Treasure Valley has been suffering drought conditions, so everything is dry and brittle and just one spark away from being a raging inferno.

Second, and some who follow Red's Good Morning Thread will know that I posted on Wednesday that the Beautiful Treasure Valley was under a RED FLAG ADVISORY starting at 2:00 PM on Thursday, yet those morons decide to ignore every sane and rational move to not cause a major wildfire.

Third...Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Maybe they should've done that in the middle of Death Valley.

 

[SavannahMann]

I did Demolitions in the Army. One of the factors we were taught to consider was environmental issues. Fort Bragg was home to a rare Woodpecker and the appropriate trees were marked. You couldn't do anything near those trees.

Fire was one of those things we had to be aware of. Many of the Ranges were not mowed as often as you might wish, and occasionally a fire might break out. We would grab our shovels and go and start fighting the fire right away. Having enough people ready to move is always preferable. Of course we were Engineers, and we specialized in doing the stuff we hadn't been trained for. We called it adapting.

 

[LouC]

Maybe they should've done that in the middle of Death Valley.

 

[LouC]

I did Demolitions in the Army. One of the factors we were taught to consider was environmental issues. Fort Bragg was home to a rare Woodpecker and the appropriate trees were marked. You couldn't do anything near those trees.

Fire was one of those things we had to be aware of. Many of the Ranges were not mowed as often as you might wish, and occasionally a fire might break out. We would grab our shovels and go and start fighting the fire right away. Having enough people ready to move is always preferable. Of course we were Engineers, and we specialized in doing the stuff we hadn't been trained for. We called it adapting.

There are ways to safely and sanely dispose of those munitions. Those folk didn't try any of those.

 

[SavannahMann]

There are ways to safely and sanely dispose of those munitions. Those folk didn't try any of those.

Old Munitions tend to be sensitive. It is actually a technical term. Sensitized munitions can detonate with little or no input. They literally can blow up when dropped or jarred. So moving them is dangerous. Containers designed to safely store them, are hopeful efforts at best. Contained Explosions often escape the confines of whatever you put them in. It's sort of what Explosives do.

Both the Artillery Shell and the Grenade are designed to throw a lot of fragments about. So the last thing I'd want to be driving down the road is those things. And putting them in a Cauldron and hoping it's strong enough while passing by vans loaded with kids and school busses would have me seeking the care of a good Cardiologist before long. Especially Sensitized Explosives, old and potentially unstable?

So a good open field seems like a better bet. Again it's weighing the risks. Is it more dangerous to do this or that. Which option seems to be the most risky?

I think they should have taken more precautions for the fire danger. I think they could have gotten a fire crew to stand by and ready to rush in while the fire is small Every minute a fire is burning it's getting worse, and if it takes ten minutes to get the Firefighters there, you'll spend at least thirty to get it out if you still can.

But the decision to blow up the explosives at that time? The longer you wait, the higher the risk can be. Better done and done. Wasn't it about a week ago when a homemade bomb went off in Los Angeles and killed four EOD Deputies? Anything you do can kill you in that line of work. So you try and do the least worst thing.

 

[LouC]

Old Munitions tend to be sensitive. It is actually a technical term. Sensitized munitions can detonate with little or no input. They literally can blow up when dropped or jarred. So moving them is dangerous. Containers designed to safely store them, are hopeful efforts at best. Contained Explosions often escape the confines of whatever you put them in. It's sort of what Explosives do.

Both the Artillery Shell and the Grenade are designed to throw a lot of fragments about. So the last thing I'd want to be driving down the road is those things. And putting them in a Cauldron and hoping it's strong enough while passing by vans loaded with kids and school busses would have me seeking the care of a good Cardiologist before long. Especially Sensitized Explosives, old and potentially unstable?

So a good open field seems like a better bet. Again it's weighing the risks. Is it more dangerous to do this or that. Which option seems to be the most risky?

I think they should have taken more precautions for the fire danger. I think they could have gotten a fire crew to stand by and ready to rush in while the fire is small Every minute a fire is burning it's getting worse, and if it takes ten minutes to get the Firefighters there, you'll spend at least thirty to get it out if you still can.

But the decision to blow up the explosives at that time? The longer you wait, the higher the risk can be. Better done and done. Wasn't it about a week ago when a homemade bomb went off in Los Angeles and killed four EOD Deputies? Anything you do can kill you in that line of work. So you try and do the least worst thing.

They made the decision once the planned detonation had already occurred to hold back the fire crew and truck on site "in case of a fire starting" until it was too late for that crew to stop the conflagration.

I understand the dangers of old munitions, these were apparently some that a local police department had come into possession of via some police action. It was not indicated whether these items had been kept for any length of time within the departments purview.

The fire was finally contained yesterday but it burned over 27k acres, threatened homes, killed wildlife etc.