use C-4 plastic explosives. Around 30 pounds

FTA:
Hall suspected the explosives experts might have taken a little pleasure in the whole thing, which is something he didn't hold against them.

"They had their own little blaze of glory," he said.

Can't say as I blame them, sounds like fun.

I sure hope like hell that nothing is ever found in my unit that requires 30 pounds of C4 to remove.

They should have put them inside an old car before ignition. Maybe inside of an old cement mixer! Nah,nevermind. I think it's been done

Please let there be video of the explosion.

I normally am a nervous wreck when I hear fireworks go off, but I'd probably get a huge kick from seeing a video of this explosion :-)

That article was full of win. Lolz.

PrinceCole: Please let there be video of the explosion.

Ask you ye shall receive (pops)

cyber_slacker: That article was full of win. Lolz.

apart from the lack of video.

Maddogjew: Ask you ye shall receive (pops)

Holy crap! They used a little too much.

uttertosh: apart from the lack of video.

point taken

uttertosh: cyber_slacker: That article was full of win. Lolz.

apart from the lack of video.

It's above you

Maddogjew: Ask you ye shall receive (pops)

Man, that was awesome!

King Something: uttertosh: cyber_slacker: That article was full of win. Lolz.

apart from the lack of video.

It's above you

I guess I just rolled my mouse right past it.

Maddogjew: PrinceCole: Please let there be video of the explosion.

Ask you ye shall receive (pops)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"Okay guys, you did a good job with those fireworks. Now I want you to take this truckload of confiscated marijuana upwind of the county jail during yard time and burn it."

Maddogjew: PrinceCole: Please let there be video of the explosion.

Ask you ye shall receive (pops)

I take ALL of that back! jerk, jerk, jerk

The blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds?

Link (new window)

At least it wasn't a whale

7,103,269.....
I should know better by now....

30 pounds? makes me think of the whale they blew up in oregon a some years back. least I think it was OR.

not the explosion mentioned in article, but it's a taste of what happens when you misjudge the amount of explosive present

baka-san: Link (new window)

At least it wasn't a whale

Impressive.

mom_dropped_me: Maybe inside of an old cement mixer!

IIRC, that was in the hundreds of pounds, if not more....

\and yes, that one's still one of my favorites

This story reminds me of song 'Alices Restaurant'

I work with c4 plastic explosives so I'm getting a kick out...

Seriously its hard to not enjoy your job just a little bit if you work with c4. In fact I can only say I have run across one ssgt who told me flat out that he is sick and tired of demo. I sort of had a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around that.

The video is awesome.

never achieved anything close to that level of awesomocity when I used to blow shiat up as a kid.

Favorite line from TFA: "Sinnett's husband thought maybe they should just light the things..."

Second favorite: "'When he was 15, he was making his own nitroglycerine,' he said. 'This guy liked to blow stuff up.'"

Department spokesmen Hyneman and Savage were unavailable for comment.

Bronto Saurus: Second favorite: "'When he was 15, he was making his own nitroglycerine,' he said. 'This guy liked to blow stuff up.'"

I wanted to make nitroglycerin when I was a kid, and knew how. But I think my parents got wind of what I was us to and they wouldn't buy me one of the necessary components (don't remember what it was but I think it was nitric acid). Had to settle for homemade gunpowder. Was planning to make dynamite with the nitroglycerin.

Is it just me or does 3o pounds of C4 seem a bit excessive? I would think they could have just dug a hole and stuck them in it with all the rockets pointing down and used some primer cord.

Hacker_X: Is it just me or does 3o pounds of C4 seem a bit excessive? I would think they could have just dug a hole and stuck them in it with all the rockets pointing down and used some primer cord.

Yeah, when we found IEDs or UXO in Iraq, we had to secure the site until EOD rolled in and would blow it up with a "controlled detonation," which meant they'd sent a robot out to plant a C-4 charge on it and blow it up.

I think the most we ever used was five pounds of C-4 on a massive IED (four 155mm artillery shells hooked up to a helium tank full of home-made explosive, buried in a dirt mound).

It was the biggest blast I have ever seen, that wasn't dropped from an aircraft.

I'd post the video, but YouTube keeps eating it.

The best way to do that, they concluded, was to use C-4 plastic explosives. Around 30 pounds, according to Lt. Col. Jonathan Allen, an Army spokesman.

"We were getting rid of it as safely as possible," said Megan Peters, a trooper spokeswoman.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Anyway, why would you need explosives to blow up explosives?


Safety. Sure. Yeah. We believe you.

You wanted video of this?
From KTUU. (new window)

Embedded media player shows home video of the blast from a ways out, but it still looked cool.

So, Sinnett called the fire department, and they called Alaska State Troopers. Pretty soon there were people there from the Army and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Sinnett guessed there were about 20 of them in all, suited up in all manner of safety gear.

And they took 27 eight by ten color glossy photographs.....

Ahh, i miss my home-state.. and Gorilla Fireworks

BadGurl404- Thanks for the real video...You can totally hear the cameraman say "Holy Shiat"...

psychosis_inducing: The best way to do that, they concluded, was to use C-4 plastic explosives. Around 30 pounds, according to Lt. Col. Jonathan Allen, an Army spokesman.

"We were getting rid of it as safely as possible," said Megan Peters, a trooper spokeswoman.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Anyway, why would you need explosives to blow up explosives?


Best way to get rid of explosives. Blowing up the actual explosive by itself is a bad idea, as you have no idea if the guy who rigged them was either an idiot or booby-trapped them.

Best thing to do is drop a controlled detontion charge on them and that way you know your charge is rigged properly.

Controlled Det is the way to go.

So did Adam get a greenlight then?

McKeesport Beer Baron: BadGurl404- Thanks for the real video...You can totally hear the cameraman say "Holy Shiat"...

I liked how the camera was rattling around from the blast.

Sgt Otter: psychosis_inducing: The best way to do that, they concluded, was to use C-4 plastic explosives. Around 30 pounds, according to Lt. Col. Jonathan Allen, an Army spokesman.

"We were getting rid of it as safely as possible," said Megan Peters, a trooper spokeswoman.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Anyway, why would you need explosives to blow up explosives?


Best way to get rid of explosives. Blowing up the actual explosive by itself is a bad idea, as you have no idea if the guy who rigged them was either an idiot or booby-trapped them.

Best thing to do is drop a controlled detontion charge on them and that way you know your charge is rigged properly.

Controlled Det is the way to go.


My father was an engineer in the Army during the Vietnam war. He told me about this one incident when they were destroying captured explosives and munitions. His squad leader decided it was a good idea to use a captured grenade to set off the explosives. There is a reason they tell you not to use enemy munitions. Instead of going off a few seconds after the pin was removed it exploded immediately. Right over the pit.

My dad said the squad leader was blown back some 25 - 30 feet and looked like someone splashed him with a bucket full of blood. He said he didn't know if he survived or not but I'd wager a guess he didn't.

leegalizit: My father was an engineer in the Army during the Vietnam war. He told me about this one incident when they were destroying captured explosives and munitions. His squad leader decided it was a good idea to use a captured grenade to set off the explosives. There is a reason they tell you not to use enemy munitions. Instead of going off a few seconds after the pin was removed it exploded immediately. Right over the pit.

My dad said the squad leader was blown back some 25 - 30 feet and looked like someone splashed him with a bucket full of blood. He said he didn't know if he survived or not but I'd wager a guess he didn't.



farkin´ Charlie.

/They didn´t USE 30 pounds of C4 on that explosion, but it was 30 pounds for accounting puropses. . .
//I hear C4´s easier than a backhoe when removing tree stumps from your yard

30 lbs of C-4? Who were these idiots talking to? Way, way, way too much! Only needed about a dozen wraps of det-cord, all done and all gone!

_{Frickin' officers never listening to their NCO's}

Excen: /They didn´t USE 30 pounds of C4 on that explosion, but it was 30 pounds for accounting puropses. . .

FTFA:
Putting their heads together, the agencies decided the best thing to do was blow the fireworks up. The best way to do that, they concluded, was to use C-4 plastic explosives. Around 30 pounds, according to Lt. Col. Jonathan Allen, an Army spokesman.

//I hear C4´s easier than a backhoe when removing tree stumps from your yard

Better off using dynamite, C-4 makes some nasty fumes when exploded underground and dynamite is more for pushing where C-4 is more of a shattering type explosion.

The more you know...

I like explosions as much, if not more, than the next guy, but if safety was such a concern, couldn't they just soak the fireworks with a hose for a half-hour or so and shovel the mess up after?

Maddogjew: PrinceCole: Please let there be video of the explosion.

Ask you ye shall receive (pops)

Thanks, that made my day.

Where are my Detonators?

Ah, nothing like bored law-enforcement officers. Reminds me of an incident in Juneau, AK where they found a "suspicious package" (a homeless man's backpack) and evacuated an office building, brought in the SWAT team, the explosive item truck and the "robot" (it's a Waldo, but I digress). They spent two hours inspecting this "item" before using the "robot" to load it into the boom truck. They then took it out to a remote location and blew up some poor saps underwear.

haha..this is about 1/2 lb of C4 in my hand...and the explosion is about 4-5lbs...30lbs of C4 slightly elevated can blast through 3 feet of concrete

Fireworks safety test of shipping containers. My conclusion is not too safe. Whole bunch of other fireworks explosions killing people in the links. (new window)Link (new window)