From 9News - Ammunition hampers firefighters at Monument blaze

"MONUMENT, Colo. (AP) - Firefighters battling a blaze at a home in Monument say they were hampered by exploding ammunition as they struggled to put the fire out."

So, the way I read this, the firefighters may not have gone (probably didn't) into the house while the ammo was cooking off. I did a search here and found multiple topics on ammunition storage. Most suggested ammo cans, file cabinets, etc. I also saw the thread with the video on how ammunition in standard packages (up to a full pallet) is pretty safe even in a fire because without being in a chamber & barrel there's so little containment of the burning gasses that there is very little velocity imparted to the case and bullet.

So, while there may be little real danger from ammunition in a house fire it is very likely to be against fire department policy for the firefighters to enter a burning house with ammo cooking off. I don't see ammo cans, file cabinets, etc. being an effective fire/heat barrier to keep ammo from cooking off in a fire. First, is that a correct assumption?

Second & most importantly, what is a cost effective (read, "relatively cheap") way to store ammo so it will not cook off in a house fire. Or at least slow it way down...

Mods - I considered putting this in the Ammunition forum but thought it might be of broader interest than to just those who watch that forum.

Thanks.

Leo

I have not verified or tested this (perhaps they can address it on Mythbusters?)... but I have heard that ammo cooking off lacks any real velocity or control to even penetrate bunker gear (the clothing fire fighters wear)- even asking the old man (retired fire fighter) and he thinks that it really isn't as dangerous as one may expect.
Your best bet is to store ammo in something hard sided, I store mine in ammo cans.

It is more dangerous than a M-80, but not too dangerous. The side of the casing ruptures lengthwise and there is some danger of fragmentation/splintering if you are standing right next to it. The more ammo burning, the higher the risk. I can understand firemen not wanting to enter that particular room, but the rest of the building would be safe. I have heard stories of firefighters refusing to get within 100 feet of a burning building once they heard there was ammo inside, due to ignorance.

When a round cooks off unconfined, the bullet stays in place and the shell flies off at low velocity. Inertia. It is if the ammo is confined that a problem might occur and that's why the firefighters stay back.

Ammo is nothing to worry about unless its housed in a barrel.

There have been multiple threads on this and one video j remember cooked off tens of thousands of rounds to prove it is not a big safety issue.

"IF WE CAN SAVE EVEN ONE FIREFIGHTER..." ...oh sorry.

I agree that ammo cooking off isn't really a big problem and tried to say the same in the first post. My bad if that didn't come across correctly. The first question was really just for confirmation that ammo cans, uninsulated cabinets, etc aren't effective in protecting the ammo stored in them from cooking off.

But, if there is a fire departments policy or simply reluctance of the firemen to enter my house with ammo cooking off, I'm still screwed. So, the second question. "what is a cost effective (read, "relatively cheap") way to store ammo so it will not cook off in a house fire. Or at least slow it way down..." This is the one I'm really interested in.

Thanks.

Leo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SlOX...yer_detailpage

This is a video from SAAMI on the subject. It is very informative but I cried when I watched it because of all the ammo they destroyed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Leobj

So, while there may be little real danger from ammunition in a house fire it is very likely to be against fire department policy for the firefighters to enter a burning house with ammo cooking off. I don't see ammo cans, file cabinets, etc. being an effective fire/heat barrier to keep ammo from cooking off in a fire. First, is that a correct assumption?

Second & most importantly, what is a cost effective (read, "relatively cheap") way to store ammo so it will not cook off in a house fire. Or at least slow it way down...

---

line your filing cabinets with drywall, 1" at least, including the door. nothing cheap is going to help in a burndown but it'll hold off the fire until they get a hose on it.