UPDATE: Second burn at Camp Minden successful

By Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office

PINEVILLE, La. – The second burn of 114,000 pounds of Clean Burning Ignitor (CBI) stored in magazine #2432 was successfully conducted today at 8:32 a.m., at the Louisiana National Guard’s Camp Minden in Minden.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel from the Army’s 797th Ordnance Company (EOD) and 79th Ordnance Battalion (EOD) from Fort Hood, Texas, completed the in place destruction of the CBI.

The Louisiana National Guard’s LUH-72 Lakota and the RQ-11B Raven unmanned aerial vehicle provided a live-link video feed of the ignition. As a 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.

Video from the air assets showed several small brush fires broke out as expected, but are contained inside the fire break. Firefighters from Bossier Parish Fire District #1 will not be allowed into the area until the 24-hour period has passed.

Tentatively, plans to conduct the third burn of magazine #2471 with 85,000 pounds of CBI and 40,000 pounds of M6 propellant may be moved up to Monday, Oct. 31 between 11:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1. Wind and weather conditions are favorable for the late night burn.  This change is dependent upon the brush fires being extinguished in the area and will not be determined until after the firefighters and EOD can assess on Monday, Oct. 31.

Once the date and time for the last burn is determined, an update 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.

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.