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Report on CW Depot Fires Due in November
A report on the cause of fires that ignited at the Umatilla and Pine Bluff chemical weapons disposal sites this year during disassembly of M55 rockets is expected to be released in late November, the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency announced last week (see GSN, Aug. 15). Testing at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey of nine rocket motor assemblies from the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas is scheduled to continue through October. Motor assemblies from the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon have already been tested. A preliminary report is due in early November, followed by the final report later that month, the agency said in a press release. “While previous testing has led to inconclusive evidence, testing on this new batch of rocket motor assemblies will help provide a more well-rounded approach to this issue,” Gregory St. Pierre, CMA risk management director, said in the release. “Every effort is being made to ensure a comprehensive and impartial look into what is causing these fires,” he said. A preliminary report on the Umatilla rocket tests indicates that there are no long-term safety effects in storing the munitions. All fires have been associated with the disposal process of rockets that have been drained of chemical agent, according to the agency (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Sept. 22).
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