I'm a San Diegan and my county has just survived the worst fire storm in California history. My family and home were never directly involved because we live on the coast. But I currently have about two thousand rounds of range ammo in the garage, plus HD ammo and handguns about the house. As the Perfect Santa Ana hit us, combined with the worst drought in memory, I found myself watching a local TV station commentator describing how a house in Rancho Bernardo was burned to the ground, and listening to ammunition in the ruins cooking off in an alarming sputter. In fact, the commentator said that cartridges were raining down upon him. He got there long after the firemen had left -- and guess WHY they left.

Morale: if fire approaches your house and you are ordered to leave your house, take your ammo!

I continue with this: Although Qualcomm Stadium was used as an evacuation center, the Chargers will play in Qualcomm Stadium Sunday. I welcome you to watch a game in a town, and a state, that was ready for the Perfect Storm.

Hoowah!

Good point.

My nephew in San Diego (who was also in NO when Katrina hit - I told him to never come back home b/c I don't want the volcanos west of town to erupt! ) told me that there were more volunteers than evacuees and that they were having to throw away donated food at the Qualcomm Stadium b/c they had so much and it was going bad. He said that the difference between the two disaster responses (Katrina and the fires) was due to the difference in the level of responsibility of the majority of the citizenry in each area.

The last house fire that I made the interior attack belongned to a gun collector.

I was crawling down a hall and came to 4 shut doors. The ammo cooking off in the fire room gave it away so I made a good fast hit on the fire and was back in bed in no time.

You posted this over on THR forum too. I'll say the same thing here, the ammo wasn't the reason the firemen left. The Media is corrupt and you can't believe a thing they say. Please stop spreading the propaganda of the Anti-2A Libs.

I don't have a big enough truck!

quote:

Originally posted by ArchAngelCD:
You posted this over on THR forum too. I'll say the same thing here, the ammo wasn't the reason the firemen left. The Media is corrupt and you can't believe a thing they say. Please stop spreading the propaganda of the Anti-2A Libs.

+1,000,000

The myth about exploding ammo is a huge sack of male bovine excrement.

For Archangel: I'm sorry you take my post the way you did. I thought I was performing a public service, which is why I put it on several websites. Your attitude is your problem, not mine.
Jack

Ammunition cooking off, that isn't contained in a firearm, is not particularly dangerous. The American Rifleman magazine has covered this, as has an episode of Mythbusters. A round in the chamber would be a different story, and loaded rifle mags can also "blow" to a degree. Some firemen may believe it to be true though.

Sigh. I know that ammunition of itself will pop off in fires, not fire off. A couple centuries ago, when I was a small arms repairman in the Oklahoma National Guard, they sent me to Small Arms Repair School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. There I learned what seems to have become the primary topic of this thread I started: that ammo does not explode in fire, it just pops. And that is what I was hearing on television: a statacco popping as rounds gave up the ghost. Again, I was not relying on the word of a reporter. I HEARD IT MYSELF.

GatorFarmer, above, scored what was MY main theme: how many firemen know that? How many policemen know that?

I would add that I thought the local TV coverage was excellent. Those reporters, most of them cute young things, were out there for twelve hours at a time in front of intensely burning homes, sweating like hogs under fireproof gear, while their hair beat them in the face, goggles up on their foreheads and face masks down on their neck, doing their level best. I commend them. Not all the media are devils incarnate.
Cordially, Jack

JayDubya,
In no way was I trying to insult you or make it personal. Sorry if you took it that way but that's not the way it was meant. I was only trying to remind you we have enemies all around us and not to be taken in by them just because they are on TV. We have to be on our guard at all times because the enemies of our freedom are very sneaky.

Sorry if you took what I said personally because it wasn't at all meant to insult you.

Peace,
Tony

Peace.
Again cordially, Jack

If I can ask a question here. I would like to know what is the proper way to store ammo in the house? Right now I keep it stored in my fire-proof safe with my guns and things. I read on another forum that that wasn't a good idea, as the ammo cooking off will damage/destroy the other safe contents. I'm thinking about getting some old ammo cans to store it all in instead. Does this sound like a good idea? Any other storage ideas? Do you agree with not storing it in the safe. Sorry if I'm hi-jacking here, I can start a new thread if I need to. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Greg F.:
If I can ask a question here. I would like to know what is the proper way to store ammo in the house? Right now I keep it stored in my fire-proof safe with my guns and things. I read on another forum that that wasn't a good idea, as the ammo cooking off will damage/destroy the other safe contents. I'm thinking about getting some old ammo cans to store it all in instead. Does this sound like a good idea? Any other storage ideas? Do you agree with not storing it in the safe. Sorry if I'm hi-jacking here, I can start a new thread if I need to. Thanks.

It is never a good idea to store ammo or components for reloading ammo in confined spaces. Smokeless propellant burns faster the more it is confined.

I store mine in mil surplus cans OR wooden boxes that are strong enough.

Thanks for the advice. I found a place to get mil surplus ammo cans pretty cheap, so I'll go ahead and get some.

Erich said: My nephew in San Diego (who was also in NO when Katrina hit - I told him to never come back home b/c I don't want the volcanos west of town to erupt! )

Erich, a favor. Would you persuade your nephew to move to San Francisco? Even better, to set up residency right next to Senator Boxer's home? The world would appreciate it.
Cordially, Jack