Last of the M6 Repellent Burned at Camp Minden
Shortly after I arrived here in 2016, I remember seeing a pretty massive fireball erupting in the not to distant west. I didn't hear the explosion, but I do remember thinking surely the sun didn't decide to come up at 4:50am for no apparent reason. The Shreveport Times has a great story on it here. I would later learn that this happened in an partially underground storage bunker at a place that stored and destroyed explosive materials known as Camp Minden, I would also learn that this kind of incident was not too uncommon. In 2012, an accidental explosion there shattered windows of houses and buildings for 4 miles! The blast was so powerful, it derailed 11 rail cars.
Fast forward to today, where (according to KTBS) the company contracted to clean up the area and destroy all of the propellant (ESI) has announced that it is 100% complete with the project. I imagine a roomful of engineers and scientists high-fiving each other and popping bottles.
But what about the state of the art burn chamber ESI built that has been running 24/7 since April of last year burning millions of pounds of the M6 propellant that was just laying about? First off, that's a very informed question. Secondly, ESI loves what they are doing so much - they propose letting them truck in other unwanted explosives and ultra-flammables!
Safely burning up the stuff we got laying around is one thing, but burning other folks stuff is a whole other deal. Understandably, some of the citizens that call the area home are concerned. We'll see how this thing works out. Personally, I like Minden. I would hate to see it blown up any more.