3 Family Members Barely Escape House Fire As Ammo Explodes Around Them
Three Washington family members were fortunate enough to escape an overnight house fire as ammunition exploded and flames billowed inches away from a large propane tank behind their home. All three are now hospitalized and the house is destroyed.
[su_center_ad]According to KOMO News, Firefighters responded to the blaze in Milton, just before midnight Sunday after receiving a report of a single-story home on fire. The home was in flames when they arrived on the scene.
“It was all fully engulfed at once,” neighbor Chrissy Getchell said. “The whole right side of the house.. And you could hear like ammunition going off.”
Two of the three family members initially escaped the fire, but one of them rushed back into the burning home to rescue a third family member who was still inside before firefighters arrived, assistant Fire Chief Jim Jaques said.
“Hunter (the son) was trying to bust open one of the windows with a shovel and Wayne (the father) had gone back into the house to get his other son,” said neighbor Mike Turney.
When the father found his son in a bedroom, he smashed out the nearest window, with a neighbor assisting him.
“After I got the window open (another neighbor) pulled Logan (the other son) and Wayne out,” Turney said. “It’s a good thing the neighbor and I got him out because the house went up real fast and Wayne was choking from the smoke.”
Acting Battalion Chief Eric McLeroy said battling the blaze was particularly challenging because of the exploding ammunition in the home and a large propane tank located on the back side of the house.
The three family members were all were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
“Fortunately there were no fatalities. We are very grateful for that,” McLeroy said.
Watch courtesy of KOMO News:
H/T: @ComgenKDT with thanks.[su_csky_ad]
Image: KOMO News.
tracey marie November 18th, 2014 at 11:12 am
will they file an insurance claim for the cost of the ammo?
Matt Dillon November 18th, 2014 at 11:23 am
Why not?
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 12:55 pm
For as expensive as ammunition is..
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 12:42 pm
Ammunition will pop off like a firecracker, but there will be no flying projectiles due to the lack of compression. Glad that everybody got out ok.
Hirightnow November 18th, 2014 at 3:33 pm
Correction: they won’t fly very far.
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 3:50 pm
NRA technical expert Julian Hatcher and his team conducted numerous tests. Page 145 of “The NRA Fact Book” states:
“When small arms ammunition is burned, cartridge cases may burst open and bits of brass may fly about, but not with any great velocity, and usually not with force enough to be dangerous to life. The bullets generally have even less velocity than the brass cartridge cases, and it is necessary for the powder to be rather strongly confined to develop any velocity in a bullet. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufactures’ Institute (SAMMI) reported a demonstration made by taking a large quantity of metallic cartridges and shotgun shells and burning them in a fire of oil soaked wood. The cartridges and shells exploded from time to time, but there was no general explosion of throwing off of bullets or shot to any distance. … The test showed that small arms ammunition when subjected to fire will not explode simultaneously but piece by piece, and then the material of which the cartridge and shells are composed will usually not fly more than a few feet.”
Subsequently, NRA staff conducted similar tests and surrounded the fire with cardboard. They found that neither the cases nor the bullets that flew any distance had enough energy to penetrate the cardboard.
And if you care to even watch. Although long. here is the science behind it all.
http://saami.org/videos/sporting_ammunition_and_the_firefighter.cfm
Hirightnow November 18th, 2014 at 4:08 pm
I do not think that a bullet will fly from a casing thrown into a fire with anything near the velocity of one fired from a barrel, but your eyes aren’t cardboard, and a hot piece of lead is a hot piece of lead.
Dangerous, by any definition.
Keep bullets away from fire.
BASIC FREAKING SAFETY, Pistol.
Sheese!
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
Well, of course you should keep them away from fire. But in this case, your entire house is on fire, I think the last thing your thinking about is running in and grabbing your Ammo stash…
but then again…. hmmmmm
Hirightnow November 18th, 2014 at 4:21 pm
I don’t think that we’re disagreeing here.
Unless you think that ammo shouldn’t be stored properly, like, say, in a metal case (ammo box) or gun safe?
And as much as you speak gun, I find that hard to believe.
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 4:32 pm
No, we completely agree about proper and safe storage.
Hirightnow November 18th, 2014 at 4:44 pm
See?
You crazed, gun-worshipping ammosexuals and us wimpy, tree-humpin’ librul scum CAN find common ground!
😛
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 5:47 pm
HOLY JUMPIN JAHOOSAFAT !!!! How did that happen ?? =)
Hirightnow November 18th, 2014 at 5:49 pm
I blame Obama.
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 10:55 pm
Me to… =)
Candide Thirtythree November 19th, 2014 at 11:47 am
You should know better than to believe anything the NRA says, the whole world knows they are nothing but liars and killers of innocents.
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 19th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
try watching the video I provided. That is not NRA. otherwise try Mythbusters episode 85. http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2007/08/episode_85_red_rag_to_a_bull_h.html
Bullets on a Campfire
Myth: Bullets in a campfire can fire with lethal force
Adam and Jamie went out to the Alameda Bomb Range to test a variation on the bullets in an oven myths: bullets on a campfire. Without the oven to absorb the blast, they wanted to see how much damage a bullet can do. Jamie rigged up a remote control vehicle to deliver the bullets to the 1000 degree fire while Adam setup triangles of the soundboard + plywood backboard to gauge the bullet damage — ballistics gel would melt over a fire. Once again, expert Jamie Nelson to supervise.
As expected, the bullet immediately began to fire like popcorn when they were dumped on the 1000 degree fire. The thermal camera was able to catch individual bits of shrapnel firing into the boards.
After the popcorn noise of the bullets had ceased, Adam wanted to put out the fire in order to protect his soundboard+plywood rig from burning. Adam was just going to walk over to the fire, but Jamie recommended carrying one of the blast shields over to protect them. Adam argued his side but was quickly rebutted by the sound of another bullet going off in the fire: “Alright, let’s walk with one of these ahead of us.”
Just as in the oven myth, it was the bullet casings that did the major damage.
Bullets on a Campfire: busted
Adam: “Well, you know me and Jamie: the fun can’t end just there. Tthere have been plenty of idiotic things that people have thrown into campfires and we’re going to try as many of them as we have time for!”
John_St_John November 18th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Tell that to a kid I went to school with by the name of Sam Fortune. He tossed a .30-30 round into a fire and when it exploded the round punched a hole through his right calf. That was in 1974.
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 5:52 pm
Un-Lucky Pop ??? probably Brass more then an a projectile
John_St_John November 18th, 2014 at 8:25 pm
Nope, the brass hit another kid by the name of Burt Swanson. Caught him in the left butt cheek while myself and four other kids ended up with hot ash and sparks in our hair and down our shirts.
Ron Jackson November 18th, 2014 at 2:59 pm
I have zero compassion for people like this.
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" November 18th, 2014 at 3:10 pm
Why, because their house was on fire? Or because they had ammunition in the house?
Eva Grace November 19th, 2014 at 8:17 am
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Matt Dillon November 19th, 2014 at 7:15 am
You should be ashamed.
Ron Jackson November 19th, 2014 at 9:40 am
I save my compassion for those that need it. I’m willing to bet that these are the same type of people that talk about how much they hate gov’t handouts,but they will now be looking for that very same gov’t to help them out.So no I have no shame in not feeling anything for these people,because I am willing to bet that these people have no compassion for others,until now
Norven Real November 20th, 2014 at 1:59 pm
me either. Some thing do not happen if you take precautions. So, I’m guessing they fear the government so they have so much ammo that it explodes. I hate to be the only one, but…too bad they made it out, now everyone else will be at risk…
John_St_John November 18th, 2014 at 4:31 pm
Can you scream DUCK AND COVER?!?
Candide Thirtythree November 19th, 2014 at 11:52 am
Our ammo is in an actual ammo safe, inside a steal gun vault, if our house burns down, we don’t want any firemen killed while trying to put it out.