Explosion at Olin (Winchester) plant

[smithers599]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/illinois-amm ... 1-employee

An explosion at an Illinois ammunition factory killed one employee, authorities said.

"We were driving through there and heard a big boom, pushed the van a little bit," said Dustin Courtouise, who lives in East Alton, the site of Winchester ammunition.

The factory, which is owned by Olin Corp., is about 20 miles north of St. Louis on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.

"There was a loud explosion heard throughout the town," East Alton Mayor Darren Carlton said.

[Half Cocked]

Authorities told KSDK that a man was killed when a truck carrying shotgun shell primers exploded at Olin Corp.'s (NYSSE: OLN) Winchester Ammunition Plant, located at 600 Powder Mill Road. It's believed the truck that exploded was carrying primer.

Friday afternoon, Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn identified the victim as 60-year-old Oscar "Zeke" R. Bettorf of Bunker Hill, Illinois. An autopsy found that Bettorf suffered blunt trauma to the head, neck, chest and pelvis.

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... ition.html

[Doc]

Hopefully it only effects shotgun primers.

[xerts1191]

Sucks

[Suck My Glock]

Transporting explosive material has always been dangerous and with risk. Anyone recall the time a truck on AZ74 between Ben Avery and Lake Pleasant detonated in the early 90's? A pickup truck transporting both blasting caps and the main explosives together in the same confined space somehow detonated while heading westbound on AZ74 just a mile or two past Ben Avery. Completely cratered the road and sent chunks of the truck 1/2 a mile. Fortunately, no other vehicles were close behind or ahead of him when it happened, and only the driver was killed.

[blasternaz]

Yep, old time blasting contractor. Liked to smoke while driving, had hay/straw in the back as well. Consensuses is, glowing cig plus straw = fire! = not good big bang. Caps were probably down hole delays, shot tube and connectors as he was heading off to a job. Sure tightened up the business for a while!

[Old Jeff H]

Pretty awful that someone died. RIP.