Current Events > House in Pennsylvania, with 20,000 rounds of ammo inside, catches fire

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qsnv5hOtE4

A fire ripped apart a home in Westmoreland County on Friday morning, igniting thousands of bullets inside.

Shots rang out as flames poured out of the home in Vandergrift. It was the sounds of the 20,000 rounds of ammo stored inside.

"It was constant pops," next-door neighbor Don Cocco said.

It was around 8 a.m. when Cocco smelled smoke and heard his neighbors screaming that the house next to his on Emerson Street was on fire.

"When I came out, I seen all of the smoke in the eaves," Cocco said.

They began to panic and banged on the front door of the home, thinking the woman who lived there was inside. Cocco said it wasn't long before she pulled up to the home as flames shot out of the side air conditioner.

"The flames were pretty high, and I was scared for my house," Cocco said.

Shortly after fire crews arrived, the ammo started to take off.

"It was very scary because nobody knew where they were going," Cocco said.

Vandergrift #1 Fire Chief Randy Dunmire said he quickly pulled their crews out of the building.

"It's just kind of flying around some. It doesn't have a lot of velocity to it because it's not coming out of a barrel, but it still has enough from the powder," Dunmire said.

Fire crews attacked the blaze from the outside for about 30 minutes until they knew all the ammo had exploded. The bullets traveled far, with some shell casings found about a half a block away.

"We decided if we didn't hear any for 10 minutes, then it was OK to go in," Dunmire said.

After knocking the fire down, crews did a lot of manual work, tackling fire in the walls and ceilings. In the process, they rotated crews due to the heat.

"It was a dangerous situation for quite some time," Dunmire said.

Dunmire said they saved some rifles and handguns, but many were destroyed. He called the house a total loss. They're in contact with the state fire marshal. Dunmire said he's not ruling on a cause, though he believes it was accidental.

Cocco is just grateful everyone is OK.

"I give all of the credit in the world to the fire departments. Unbelievable job they did," Cocco said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/westmoreland-county-house-fire-ammo/

"Cat unaccounted for"

Poor kitty...

Don Cocco is a great name.

the fact that people can accrue an arsenal like that really underlines the failure of the system in this country.

Disgusting and scary. No one needs that much ammo, period.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/79dbeb47.jpg

Why was there so much ammunition there?

The idea that they "saved" guns instead of recovers them implies it was a historical collection of some kind rather than just a 3 %er skinhead but idk

Can't tell if gun nut or prepper.

wanderingshade posted...

Can't tell if gun nut or prepper.

same damn thing.

monkmith posted...

same damn thing.

There's a mild difference from "Yeehaaaw" and "Got 20,000 round of ammo, half a ton of dried beans, canned preserves and dehydrated meat in case a meteor hits or The Stand happens".

Classic Pennsyltucky.

Hexenherz posted...

Why was there so much ammunition there?

The idea that they "saved" guns instead of recovers them implies it was a historical collection of some kind rather than just a 3 %er skinhead but idk

I think they just used the word "saved" because gun culture is weird. Having 20,000 rounds of ammo doesn't make sense for a historical collection.

wanderingshade posted...

There's a mild difference from "Yeehaaaw" and "Got 20,000 round of ammo, half a ton of dried beans, canned preserves and dehydrated meat in case a meteor hits or The Stand happens".

barely a difference, still a nut. no amount of personally owned guns is going to save you in a societal collapse, just going to make you a bigger target.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuAKnbIr6TE

It's not that much given the nature of ammo purchasing. People buy ammunition in bulk because that's where the savings are and ammo doesn't go bad over time unless you've done something terribly wrong.

Hospy posted...

It's not that much given the nature of ammo purchasing. People buy ammunition in bulk because that's where the savings are and ammo doesn't go bad over time unless you've done something terribly wrong.

ok. but we're not talking about toilet paper; the only purpose of a bullet is to be fired from a gun, and the purpose of a gun is to kill. we track the sale of cars in this country, we regulate the right to travel by car based off of means and ability; we do this because a car is dangerous to yourself and others since while it is a mode of transportation it can also be used as a weapon. we do not do that with guns because a lobbying group parading itself as a gun club has bribed politicians for decades not to.

in a functional society you would track the sale of guns and ammo. someone stockpiling 20,000 rounds of ammunition should be setting off alarm bells.

monkmith posted...

ok. but we're not talking about toilet paper; the only purpose of a bullet is to be fired from a gun, and the purpose of a gun is to kill. we track the sale of cars in this country, we regulate the right to travel by car based off of means and ability; we do this because a car is dangerous to yourself and others since while it is a mode of transportation it can also be used as a weapon. we do not do that with guns because a lobbying group parading itself as a gun club has bribed politicians for decades not to.

in a functional society you would track the sale of guns and ammo. someone stockpiling 20,000 rounds of ammunition should be setting off alarm bells.

What alarm bell is there? The guy is only in the news because his house burned down and people think 20,000 rounds of ammunition is a scary number.

Hospy posted...

What alarm bell is there? The guy is only in the news because his house burned down and people think 20,000 rounds of ammunition is a scary number.

oh gee I wonder why 20000 rounds in a single home is a scary number

Hospy posted...

It's not that much given the nature of ammo purchasing. People buy ammunition in bulk because that's where the savings are and ammo doesn't go bad over time unless you've done something terribly wrong.

Nah, it's definitely a lot. I've known people with a lot of guns, and they'd have a couple thousands rounds at most. Nowhere near 20,000.

People crying when there is too much shooting of bullets in the US.

Same people crying that someone didn't shoot their bullets enough.

Hospy posted...

What alarm bell is there? The guy is only in the news because his house burned down and people think 20,000 rounds of ammunition is a scary number.

...20,000 rounds of ammo is an insane amount for one guy to have laying around.

Yeah he probably stockpiled that over year, but way too much.

CirillaRiannon posted...

People crying when there is too much shooting of bullets in the US.

Same people crying that someone didn't shoot their bullets enough.

Ah, yes. Trolling over shootings. Interesting strategy.

I hate to even join this discussion as I know how sensitive it is when it comes to guns but I know a shit ton of hunters and people who enjoy going to the range that are pretty normal people though Im sure many would classify them them as gun nuts just for the fact they enjoy going to a range.

Most of these average range visits its pretty easy to use 200 to 300 rounds. I know many that will be up around 500. Some that bring multiple guns and will do 100 to 200 rounds per caliber/gun. If you go somewhat frequently you can go through a lot of ammunition in the course of a year. This kind of stockpile wouldnt be eye raising for many of the people I know.

And I can say I have enjoyed some range shooting here and there. I have only done it a handful of times in my life but it was super fun to me.

archizzy posted...

I hate to even join this discussion as I know how sensitive it is when it comes to guns but I know a shit ton of hunters and people who enjoy going to the range that are pretty normal people though Im sure many would classify them them as gun nuts just for the fact they enjoy going to a range.

Most of these average range visits its pretty easy to use 200 to 300 rounds. I know many that will be up around 500. Some that bring multiple guns and will do 100 to 200 rounds per caliber/gun. If you go somewhat frequently you can go through a lot of ammunition in the course of a year. This kind of stockpile wouldnt be eye raising for many of the people I know.

And I can say I have enjoyed some range shooting here and there. I have only done it a handful of times in my life but it was super fun to me.

The people I know that shoot like that tend to only have a few thousand stocked at a time because they're using it, and they stock up here and there, but the number still stays relatively low because it's actually being used. Getting to the point of 20,000 seems like it's not being used for range shooting, it's just being stockpiled.

HashtagSEP posted...

Nah, it's definitely a lot. I've known people with a lot of guns, and they'd have a couple thousands rounds at most. Nowhere near 20,000.

This. I know some people who are very much gun enthusiasts, and even they arent stockpiling anywhere near that much ammunition. Either the homeowner was preparing for a freaking zombie apocalypse or they were potentially plotting something bad.

HashtagSEP posted...

The people I know that shoot like that tend to only have a few thousand stocked at a time because they're using it, and they stock up here and there, but the number still stays relatively low because it's actually being used. Getting to the point of 20,000 seems like it's not being used for range shooting, it's just being stockpiled.

I agree with this for the most part. The more frequent shooters tend to have less because of somewhat frequent use. But I know a few who will buy in bulk with these kind of numbers and it will be dwindled down in a fairly fast amount of time. But hes most likely just stockpiling yeah.

That person is no longer prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

Surely it's for a well regulated militia

Yet more evidence for the principle that anyone who wishes to own a gun is, ipso facto, not a suitable person to own a gun.

Hospy posted...

The guy is only in the news because his house burned down and people think 20,000 rounds of ammunition is a scary number.

The house is owned by an unnamed woman. Don is a neighbor

I won't lie, I thought that scene in RED was bullshit. That's crazy.

KFHEWUI posted...

"The flames were pretty high, and I was scared for my house," Cocco said.

God I feel this guy's worries. The fact that you yourself is a normal person that doesn't do things like store shit ton of ammo like you are going to war in the future or like to fucking burn trash right in the backyard.....around a ton of other trees and whatnot, but since your neighbor does these things their shit catching on fire is potentially going to engulf your own shit, =/

*My neighbors absolutely loves to burn trash in giant piles whenever they can, and it makes no fucking sense to me since we live a hop and a skip from the local dump, =/ lol*

What does a sane person need that many bullets for?

Biofighter55 posted...

oh gee I wonder why 20000 rounds in a single home is a scary number

Why though? It's not going to blow up the house any more than a house fire is.

Even if we go with the worst case scenario that the owner is a nutter and wants to commit a mass shooting, there's only so much ammo you could conceivably shoot off.

HashtagSEP posted...

Nah, it's definitely a lot. I've known people with a lot of guns, and they'd have a couple thousands rounds at most. Nowhere near 20,000.

jefffan posted...

...20,000 rounds of ammo is an insane amount for one guy to have laying around.

Yeah he probably stockpiled that over year, but way too much.

You just stock up when it's cheap or on sale. It doesn't go bad and it doesn't take up much space, and if you're shooting weird calibers you stock up when it's available.

Hospy posted...

Even if we go with the worst case scenario that the owner is a nutter and wants to commit a mass shooting, there's only so much ammo you could conceivably shoot off.

Up until your armory catches fire and (lacking the exhaustive rules and regulations that would surround operating a goddamn ammo supply depot [such as those held by the Army regarding ammunition storage]) we start licking 20,000 bullets off completely at random into this goddamn suburb.

DrizztLink posted...

Up until your armory catches fire and (lacking the exhaustive rules and regulations that would surround operating a goddamn ammo supply depot [such as those held by the Army regarding ammunition storage]) we start licking 20,000 bullets off completely at random into this goddamn suburb.

Firearm ammunition that ignites outside of a firearm doesn't do much.

CirillaRiannon posted...

People crying when there is too much shooting of bullets in the US.

Same people crying that someone didn't shoot their bullets enough.

Whose alt is this

Hospy posted...

Firearm ammunition that ignites outside of a firearm doesn't do much.

So it's cool if I build a bonfire in your street and toss in a couple boxes of nine mill?

DrizztLink posted...

So it's cool if I build a bonfire in your street and toss in a couple boxes of nine mill?

Go ahead, as long as you clean up after yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SlOXowwC4c

(Fast forward to 12:20 when they light ammunition on fire.)

monkmith posted...

the fact that people can accrue an arsenal like that really underlines the failure of the system in this country.

But they need them to fight a tyrannical government, they say while cheering for a tyrannical fascist government destroying our democracy, judicial standards, way of life, set up internment camps, have our own Gestapo literally abducting people in masks and no identification, often citizens, off the streets and whisking them to who knows where merely because of their skin color, a newly appointed appeals court judge who has said to flat-out ignore unfavorable court decisions, a DOJ that is nakedly committing crimes to cover for Dear Leader. But someday a Democrat may come into power and become a tyrant!

Also the drones that can kill them before they even know they're there.

Why is it that whenever a gun nut does something kinda dumb, other gun nuts can't just admit they did something dumb, they have to defend it to the death like "Nothing wrong with that!"

HashtagSEP posted...

Why is it that whenever a gun nut does something kinda dumb, other gun nuts can't just admit they did something dumb, they have to defend it to the death like "Nothing wrong with that!"

What was the dumb thing here, having their house burn down? It's incredibly unlikely that the ammunition started the fire if that's what you're implying.

monkmith posted...

in a functional society you would track the sale of guns and ammo.

in a functional society we wouldn't have a fascist government tracking us in the first place

Ammo hoarder just lost all their ammo

KFHEWUI posted...

Westmoreland County

Yeah, that tracks.

KFHEWUI posted...

"The flames were pretty high, and I was scared for my house," Cocco said.

Shortly after fire crews arrived, the ammo started to take off.

KFHEWUI posted...

"It's just kind of flying around some. It doesn't have a lot of velocity to it because it's not coming out of a barrel, but it still has enough from the powder," Dunmire said.

Fire crews attacked the blaze from the outside for about 30 minutes until they knew all the ammo had exploded. The bullets traveled far, with some shell casings found about a half a block away.

These are the things I was curious about. How easily bullets react to fire, and how dramatic the reaction is.