CAMP MINDEN — The remaining 200,000 pounds of clean-burning igniter, commonly referred to as CBI, at Camp Minden will be destroyed “in place,” sources confirm.
Local, state and federal authorities briefed members of the Community Action Group Wednesday evening. A member of the group told the Minden Press-Herald they were told the controlled detonations inside two bunkers were the only option.
The dates for the detonations have reportedly been set for Oct. 18, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29.
Reportedly 40,000 pounds of M6 propellant is also stored in one bunker and will be included in the Oct. 29 detonation.
A public town hall meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday to provide the public with an update on the disposal process of the CBI. It will take place in Building A-120 at Camp Minden.
The Louisiana National Guard confirmed CBI was the cause of the bunker explosion in late September that lit up the morning sky.
The M6 propellant and CBI were discovered improperly stored at Explo’s property on Camp Minden after an October 2012 explosion that shook Camp Minden and the surrounding areas.
The explosives were stored in magazines before Explo, which leased space from the National Guard’s industrial site at Camp Minden, went bankrupt in August 2013 and abandoned the site.
About one-third of the propellant has been destroyed in a contained burn chamber that was built on site earlier this year at Camp Minden.