Possible gunpowder related tragedy

kh54 · Oct 9, 2024

I don’t know where else to post this but I need to reach out to someone. Two neighbors/friends were in the gun room attached to the one neighbor’s garage this evening when there was a terrific explosion and fire. I just happened to be at the end of the driveway and another neighbor and I were able to pull one of the two to safety but we couldn’t reach the other. My dear friend who survived (so far) was badly burned and lacerated. He’s 85 and in poor health so it’s still possible he won’t live.

We may never know exactly what happened. My guess is they were loading ammo (probably smokeless but one is also a muzzleloader) for the hunting season, but how that became an explosion and fire is unknown. It’s possible the explosion was due to something else entirely - just don’t know.

No comments are necessary, especially not speculation, but I thought I’d share with y’all as a precautionary tale. Tomorrow all of my stored powder is going from the house to the back shed, about 25 yards away from the house. And I will certainly be handling things MUCH more carefully in the future.

Rest in Peace Brother Steve.

Y’all be safe. Stay safe.

Kim

Tumbledown · Oct 9, 2024

You don't want speculation, yet only guess about what they were doing. Even your thread title is speculation.

Diogenes454 · Oct 9, 2024

God bless em!

wiscoaster · Oct 9, 2024

Tumbledown said:
You don't want speculation, yet only guess about what they were doing. Even your thread title is speculation.

OP, I'm sorry for your loss and your tragedy, but yes to the above remark, your thread title itself is speculation and inviting same.

reddogge · Oct 9, 2024

Was natural gas or propane used to heat the area?

Eric Krewson · Oct 9, 2024

Why criticize the OP for his choice of words? He told us a cautionary tale that we can't be too careful with no conclusions intended. I am sure this was a very traumatic event to witness, he should be commended for helping save the elderly man. I have witnessed several life threating injuries, one was a very traumatic bike wreck by an elderly man, he had obvious brain damage from the wreck, the other was a choking incident in a restaurant, I sprang to action but every other person there was frozen in place. Kudos to the OP.

I have my 23# stock of B/P in my shop which is detached from my house, my gun safe is in my house but has no loaded guns or ammo in it.

kh54 · Oct 9, 2024

Thank you all for the kind remarks. There is a number of details, not speculative, that I did not include that point to gunpowder being the source of the explosion. I don’t know if propane was in use for heat or any other purpose. I hope none of you will ever have any accident of any nature and only hope you’ll all be safe with our hobby and sport. I also hope you’ll never have to witness anything remotely similar.

Thank you again for the kind words and thoughts.

Juice Jaws · Oct 9, 2024

Eric Krewson said:
Why criticize the OP for his choice of words? He told us a cautionary tale that we can't be too careful with no conclusions intended. I am sure this was a very traumatic event to witness, he should be commended for helping save the elderly man. I have witnessed several life threating injuries, one was a very traumatic bike wreck by an elderly man, he had obvious brain damage from the wreck, the other was a choking incident in a restaurant, I sprang to action but every other person there was frozen in place. Kudos to the OP.

I have my 23# stock of B/P in my shop which is detached from my house, my gun safe is in my house but has no loaded guns or ammo in it.

Thanks for the post. I agree with you

kh54 · Oct 13, 2024

Here’s an update. Three days ago it didn’t look promising for my friend who survived but he is slowly improving. I have spoken to him and while it wasn’t much of a conversation, as you can imagine, he is aware of what’s going on and he knew me. He remembers that I helped pull him out of the fire. He also confirmed, to someone else, that the two were loading smokeless rifle ammo at the moment of the explosion but all he knows is that there was an explosion, not what exploded or how it was ignited. His burns, lacerations, and shrapnel injuries, as well as a couple of other factors, all indicate that something right in front of the two of them exploded. Logically, there would have been primers and powder in front of them and in the loader.

I thank God for my friend’s survival and that his condition is improving. And I’m deeply saddened for the loss of my other friend and for his family’s tragedy. Again, I appreciate the support from forum members.

Colonial Boy · Oct 13, 2024

Thanks for the update, glad to hear that he is improving, be sure to tell him of our support.

kh54 · Oct 13, 2024

Colonial Boy said:
Thanks for the update, glad to hear that he is improving, be sure to tell him of our support.

Thank you - that’s very thoughtful and kind of you to say. I really do appreciate the camaraderie that I/we enjoy on the forum, from (mostly) complete strangers.

Autocorrect caught a typo and changed that last word to “stranglers”. I’m sure glad I saw that before I posted.

On the other hand, I appreciate all you stranglers, as well.

Be careful out there!

oldschoolhunter55 · Oct 13, 2024

kh54 said:
Thank you all for the kind remarks. There is a number of details, not speculative, that I did not include that point to gunpowder being the source of the explosion. I don’t know if propane was in use for heat or any other purpose. I hope none of you will ever have any accident of any nature and only hope you’ll all be safe with our hobby and sport. I also hope you’ll never have to witness anything remotely similar.

Thank you again for the kind words and thoughts.

prayers for all

snakebit · Oct 13, 2024

Sorry to read about this. Probably good for some of us to read these things. A reminder things can go bad quick.

Glad you were close by to render assistance. Could of ended different if you weren't.

Peace and comfort to the families involved.

Omahkapi'si · Oct 13, 2024

Yup, you have to be careful with all this stuff.

WALT53 · Oct 13, 2024

Omahkapi'si said:
Yup, you have to be careful with all this stuff.

Sad to hear .

maillemaker · Oct 13, 2024

Thanks for sharing this story. I am going to re-arrange my powder storage now.

deerstalkert · Oct 13, 2024

prayers for the recovery of your friend. also prayers for the ones that suffered loss.

BIGBEAR · Oct 14, 2024

Sorry for your loss , and good to hear of your other friends recovery
This makes me think about my powder inventory and its storage location

springfield art · Oct 14, 2024

kh54 said:
I don’t know where else to post this but I need to reach out to someone. Two neighbors/friends were in the gun room attached to the one neighbor’s garage this evening when there was a terrific explosion and fire. I just happened to be at the end of the driveway and another neighbor and I were able to pull one of the two to safety but we couldn’t reach the other. My dear friend who survived (so far) was badly burned and lacerated. He’s 85 and in poor health so it’s still possible he won’t live.

We may never know exactly what happened. My guess is they were loading ammo (probably smokeless but one is also a muzzleloader) for the hunting season, but how that became an explosion and fire is unknown. It’s possible the explosion was due to something else entirely - just don’t know.

No comments are necessary, especially not speculation, but I thought I’d share with y’all as a precautionary tale. Tomorrow all of my stored powder is going from the house to the back shed, about 25 yards away from the house. And I will certainly be handling things MUCH more carefully in the future.

Rest in Peace Brother Steve.

Y’all be safe. Stay safe.

Kim

Thank you. I store any BP away from the house in a shed, locked up. Am a strict non-smoking house, also. I appreciate your reminder.

Whitworth · Oct 14, 2024

Glad to hear he's improving. To me a hopper full of smokeless powder isn't nearly as scary as a loading press tube of full of stacked primers. YMMV

Possible gunpowder related tragedy

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