UPDATE: Final burn of Clean Burning Ignitor scheduled for Tuesday
By Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
Updated: The window for the burn this morning has shifted from 9 -11 a.m. to between 11 and 1 p.m. today in order to allow the fog to lift.
Thank you for your understanding.
PINEVILLE, La. – The last remaining magazine that contains 85,000 pounds of Clean Burning Ignitor (CBI) and 40,000 pounds of M6 propellant is scheduled to be destroyed in place Tuesday, Nov. 1 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., at the Louisiana National Guard’s Camp Minden in Minden.
Officials from Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office and Webster parish officials, the Environmental Protection Agency, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Military Department have all agreed to the final burn date.
“After careful consultation with EOD and local authorities, the unified command consisting of EPA, LDEQ, and LMD is announcing plans to destroy magazine 2471 contents in-place between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2016,” said David Gray, with the EPA. “The planned destruction schedule is based on the latest information from yesterday’s operation and the updated weather forecast for the remainder of the week. Another community update will be provided after the third operation is completed.”
Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel from the Army’s 797th Ordnance Company (EOD) and 79th Ordnance Battalion (EOD) from Fort Hood, Texas, will conduct the final destruction of magazine #2471 containing the CBI and M6.
The Louisiana National Guard’s LUH-72 Lakota a will provide a live-link video feed of the ignition to officials at the unified command cell on Camp Minden to monitor the burn.
An assessment of the second burn of 114,000 pounds of CBI was completed by EOD and firefighters from Bossier Parish Fire District #1 on Oct. 31. Small brush fires that started as a result of the burn were contained by the fire breaks. A few hot spots continue to smolder and are being monitored, but are not a concern at this time. Six boxes, or approximately 192 pounds of CBI, was not destroyed in the second burn.
As a mandatory safety precaution, EOD must wait 24 hours before going into the area to make an assessment of the destruction and look for any remaining CBI following the final burn. The remaining CBI from the second burn, and any from the final burn, will be destroyed on Nov. 2, after the 24-hour safety period has passed.
The EPA monitored the second burn at four stations, as well as with their Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) bus downwind of the burn. The final burn will be monitored as well.
“The destruction of CBI in magazine 2432 was successful. The TAGA did not measure any significant diphenylamine (DPA) or hydrogen cyanide downwind or in the community during the monitoring effort today. In addition, EPA conducted monitoring for HCN and particulates at four stations around the magazine 2432 operation within Camp Minden. These monitoring locations did not show elevated or significant measurements during the operation. However, two locations did find the presence of HCN. Additional air data from stationery sampling locations will be provided as soon as quality assured data from the laboratory is available,” said Adam Adams with the EPA.
Any change to the date or time of the final burn will be released on the LANG’s social media sites and to the media. Winds greater than 15 mph, low cloud cover or lightning within 10 miles are conditions that could delay the final burn.
“Working closely with our community at all levels is key to the partnership we have built,” said Col. Ed Bush, state public affairs office for the LANG. “We will continue to work through this process together and look forward to a successful outcome.”
The point of contact for the Louisiana National Guard regarding this incident is Col. Ed Bush at (318) 416-7414 or edward.m.bush.mil@mail.mil.