Reloading Safety House Explosion

[TX Nimrod]

I too have a lot of trouble with the story. Over the years I’ve been directly involved in three different events which became TV news stories. I knew what the facts were in each case, but after viewing the broadcasts the “facts” were so distorted that I had to wonder if the respective reporters even talked to any witnesses.

Earlier this summer a local print shop suffered a gas explosion, which pretty much destroyed the end of the strip mall, see the pic below. There were several employees in the shop when the explosion occurred, so it is possible to happen without anyone present noticing in time. My money would be on a gas explosion….except a “neighbor” stated that the neighborhood had no gas service. But isn’t propane a flammable gas? Some people just don’t think…

 

[pete2]

Bull! Natural gas or even gasoline but no way it was smokeless powder!

 

[Unclenick]

Yes, reporting is often an act of presenting speculation as fact. That's why I suggested maybe it was black powder, even though the story said smokeless. That's the kind of detail often got wrong.

 

[Colorado Redneck]

It seems unlikely a few pounds of smokeless powder would create a blast that resulted in that much damage. The guy is badly injured and had his brains scrambled, so his statements may be a tad off. A few years ago, there was a video created by firefighters that was a demonstration of a large fire with bunches of primers, powder and ammo in a structure (semi-trailer box IIRC). There was no explosion, just a hot fire. The ammo fired, but bullets weren't shot out like movies portray. The purpose was to educate firefighters about the reality of a gun shop fire. I shared it with friends, and likely found it here in the forums. After seeing that video I am very doubtful that a few pounds of powder was the only substance that blew up.

 

[higgite]

It seems unlikely a few pounds of smokeless powder would create a blast that resulted in that much damage. The guy is badly injured and had his brains scrambled, so his statements may be a tad off.

Could also be that reloading was the first "innocent" excuse that came to mind. It would be interesting to know what really happened, but we will probably never hear the straight scoop.

 

[MarkCO]

Highly unlikely that was due to primers or smokeless powder. That is a pretty significant explosion. I have investigated a few explosions due to reloading, and a bunch related to propane, natural gas and various illegal activities.

From a safety perspective, static spark is a possibility in certain conditions, but results in a fire, usually very short duration, and not a pressure event, if the components were being handled properly. Wood and Sheet metal cabinets are fine. Never store primers or powder in a gun safe or heavy sealed container. Bulk storage of primers (removed from their packaging) is not a good idea either.

They will probably figure out what happened, and unless the guy was doing something illegal, the follow up won't make the news.

 

[Sarge]

Yes, reporting is often an act of presenting speculation as fact. That's why I suggested maybe it was black powder, even though the story said smokeless. That's the kind of detail often got wrong.

A couple of years before I retired, my Agency sent me to an arson school put on by the state fire marshal's office. It was the same basic training they provide state investigators, complete with (controlled) structure fires, explosions etc.

There is absolutely no way I would speculate on the cause(s) of this incident w/o examining what's left of the scene and collecting samples for lab analysis. Even then it often a triangulation of verifiable evidence to determine the most likely cause. And FWIW, even a baby food jar of loose primers is a frag grenade and anyone within roughly 25 feet of where it detonates will not be giving interviews to anybody.