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Investigators to remove detonator cord
Representatives from the Federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as well as a technician from Kennedy Space Center are at a Merritt Island mobile home today to help remove highly explosive detonator cord embedded in a concrete patio. The cord has been a part of the trailer home at 325 Lafitte Court in Merritt Island for more than 20 years, the Brevard County Sheriffâs office said. Highly explosive, the cord injured two pest control workers this week after they drilled holes into the concrete to lay pesticide.
| "Cheeze, Herb! Whut the hell was that?" |
After the second explosion on Tuesday evening, Brevard County Fire-Rescue contacted the Sheriffâs Office Bomb Squad to respond. "What we found was detonation cord embedded in the concrete," said Lt. Jack Aguiar of the sheriffâs bomb squad. "We then contacted the Hazardous Materials Team which determined the cord was made of PETN, a material used for detonation." PETN, or pentaerythritoltetranitrate, is one of the strongest known high explosives. It is more sensitive to shock or friction than TNT or tetryl, and is primarily used in booster and bursting charges of small caliber ammunition, in upper charges of detonators in some land mines and shells, and as the explosive core of primacord. "It looks like a clothes line, " said Aguiar. "It may be that someone used the cord as a level line when pouring the slab for the patio, and the line ended up buried in the concrete."
| "Uhhh... Wally? Please don't smoke around the plumb bob!" |
Mike Bieker, a technician with the sheriffâs bomb squad, believes the cord was put into the concrete by a previous homeowner and has been degrading over the past 20 years, making it even more volatile. The homeowner has lived on the property for about 18 years and has since been moved out of the trailer. The two Terminex employees - Todd Defusco and Jerry Alleston - were treated and released from local hospitals with only minor injuries. The KSC technician is using a handheld detection device to help locate the cord before workers are able to remove it, Bieker said.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2003-12-17 |
