Accidental Explosion Kills 7 Marines At Hawthorne Nevada Army Depot

7 Marines Dead after Explosion at Nevada Military Facility

Posted: Mar 19, 2013 7:54 AM MDTUpdated: Mar 19, 2013 9:58 AM MDT

By April Valencia - email

 

HAWTHORNE, Nevada -- Seven United States service members are dead, and several others injured after an explosion at the Hawthorne Army Depot Monday night.

The injured have been transported to area hospitals for treatment and further evaluation.

The identities of those killed will be provided 24 hours after primary next of kin notification. The status of those injured will be provided as it becomes available.

"We send our prayers and condolences to the families of Marines involved in this tragic incident. We remain focused on ensuring that they are supported through this difficult time," said Maj. Gen. Raymond C. Fox, II MEF commanding general. "We mourn their loss, and it is with heavy hearts we remember their courage and sacrifice."

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

source: http://www.kcoy.com/story/21698355/7-marines-dead-after-explosion

Lawmakers mourn Marines killed in Hawthorne, NV

Posted: Mar 19, 2013 9:06 AM MDTUpdated: Mar 19, 2013 9:33 AM MDT

Nevada's lawmakers offered condolences Tuesday following an explosion that killed seven Marines in Hawthorne.

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-NV, made the following statement:

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of life as the result of an explosion during a live-fire training at Hawthorne Army Depot last night. I had the honor and privilege visiting the Depot in January, which is located in Nevada's 4th Congressional District. The families of those affected are in my thoughts and prayers, and I pray for the recovery of those in critical condition and receiving medical care. Our office is in contact with the Governor, local officials, and military command to receive updates on the situation."

Sen. Dean Heller, R-NV, expressed the following after the explosion:

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones in this explosion, and the entire nation is grateful for the service of those whose lives were lost. I would also like to thank the first responders and medical personnel who are helping the injured, and wish those injured service members a speedy recovery. My staff and I will continue to closely monitor the situation."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, offered his condolences:

Late last night, seven United States Marines were killed and several others were injured by an explosion during a training exercise near Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. My thoughts are with those who were injured. My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives. And my sympathies are with their fellow Marines, who are also grieving this loss. Details are still emerging, and I will continue to follow this news closely. I will do whatever I can going forward to support the United States Military and the families of the fallen Marines.

Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, where the killed Marines were stationed, made the following statement:

I was so saddened to learn about the seven Marines from Camp Lejeune who were killed last night in Nevada. Our Marines, and all of our service members, demonstrate their bravery everyday as they serve our country. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Marines who were killed and those who were injured, and I will continue to monitor the investigation so we can find out what happened and take appropriate steps.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, R-NV, had this to say following the explosion in Hawthorne:

"I am deeply saddened to hear of the incident at the Hawthorne Army Depot this morning. The men and women who work and train there put service ahead of self each and every day. Kathleen and I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to those killed and their families. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured and we pray for their speedy recovery."

Rep. Dina Titus, D-NV, gave this statement following the deaths of 7 Marines in Nevada:

"It was with great sorrow that I heard of the loss of life at the Hawthorne Army Depot explosion last night. This tragic accident reminds us of the sacrifices our servicemen and women make every day to protect our American way of life, in the field and here at home. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends who lost a loved one in Hawthorne last night, and I pray for a quick recovery of those receiving care for their injuries."

Rep. Joe Heck, R-NV, offered his condolences in the explosion:

"This morning we awoke to the devastating news that seven Marines were killed during a training exercise at Hawthorne. This tragic event underscores the fact that whether at home or abroad, all of our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line every day and that the costs of defending a nation are great. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those we lost and I extend to them my deepest condolences. I also thank all of those who responded to the explosion and helped get the injured to safety. I will continue to watch this situation closely and my staff and I stand ready to assist in any way we can in the wake of this horrible event."

read more at http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/21708073/lawmakers-mourn-marines-killed-in-hawthorne-nv

What Was That In The Sky Over The Western United States?

SIERRA FIREBALL DECODED: 
On Sunday morning, April 22nd, just as the Lyrid meteor shower was dying down, a spectacular fireball exploded over California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. The loud explosion rattled homes from central California to Reno, Nevada, and beyond. According to Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, the source of the blast was a meteoroid about the size of a minivan.

"Elizabeth Silber at Western University has searched for infrasound signals from the explosion," says Cooke. "Infrasound is very low frequency sound which can travel great distances. There were strong signals at 2 stations, enabling a triangulation of the energy source at 37.6N, 120.5W. This is marked by a yellow flag in the map below."

"The energy is estimated at a whopping 3.8 kilotons of TNT, so this was a big event," he continues. "I am not saying there was a 3.8 kiloton explosion on the ground in California. I am saying that the meteor possessed this amount of energy before it broke apart in the atmosphere. [The map] shows the location of the atmospheric breakup, not impact with the ground."

"The fact that sonic booms were heard indicates that this meteor penetrated very low in atmosphere, which implies a speed less than 15 km/s (33,500 mph). Assuming this value for the speed, I get a mass for the meteor of around 70 metric tons. Hazarding a further guess at the density of 3 grams per cubic centimeter (solid rock), I calculate a size of about 3-4 meters, or about the size of a minivan."

"This meteor was probably not a Lyrid; without a trajectory, I cannot rule out a Lyrid origin, but I think it likely that it was a background or sporadic meteor."

News and eyewitness reports: #1, #2, #3, #4.

Photos: 

Fireball with big boom reported in Nevada, California

By Martin Griffith 

Associated Press

RENO, Nev. -- A loud explosion heard across much of Nevada and California on Sunday morning rattled homes and prompted a flood of calls to law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Sierra Nevada, some reporting fireball sightings.

The sound and the light show were likely caused by a meteor that entered Earth's atmosphere, astronomers said.

"It made the shades in my room shake hard enough to slam into the window a couple times," said Nicole Carlsen of the Reno area. "I kept looking for earthquake information, but (there was) nothing. I even checked the front of my house to make sure no one ran into the garage. I wish I had seen the meteor."

Erin Girard-Hudson of Arnold, Calif., told The Union Democrat of Sonora, Calif., that the loud boom that occurred around 8 a.m. made her 2-year-old daughter, Elsie, cry.

"It knocked me off my feet and was shaking the house," she said. "It sounded like it was next door."

No damages or injuries were immediately reported. There were no reports of earthquakes at the time.

Some people reported seeing a brilliant light streak across the sky at the same time. Sightings occurred over roughly a 600-mile line across the two states, including Reno, Elko and North Las Vegas in Nevada, and the San Francisco, Sacramento and Bakersfield areas in California.

Astronomers said they believe the mysterious light was a fireball, which is a very bright meteor. It will take time to determine the path of the fireball and where it broke up, they added.

"From the reports, I have no doubt it was a fireball," said Robert Lunsford of the Geneseo, N.Y.-based American Meteor Society. "It happens all the time, but most are in daytime and are missed. This one was extraordinarily bright in the daylight."

Lunsford said it's "pretty rare" for fireballs to produce a loud explosion. For that to happen, he explained, the meteor must have survived intact until breaking up about five miles above Earth. Most fireballs are visible at 50 miles above Earth.

"If you hear a sonic boom or loud explosion, that's a good indication that some fragments may have reached the ground," Lunsford told The Associated Press. "We'll have to get some people to work on it to pinpoint where it broke up and see if anything can be found on the ground."

Lunsford said more than 20 people in the two states had filed reports with his group by midmorning about seeing the fireball.

"I have been looking at the sky for 30 years, and I have never witnessed something so amazing and puzzling. It is an event that makes you glad to be alive," said Matthew Neal of San Francisco. "The main body was bright green and the head was bright red and white."

Greg Giroux of June Lake, Calif., located along the eastern Sierra just west of Yosemite National Park, also was impressed.

"This was by far the brightest fireball/shooting star I've ever seen, especially since it was in full sunlight," he said. "After the flash, it broke up into pieces, then I lost sight of it as it went behind a mountain."

In Nevada, the light show was seen as far east as Elko, about 300 miles east of Reno, and as far south as the Las Vegas area.

Marcia Standifer of Spring Creek, near Elko, and her husband were out drinking coffee when they saw the fireball at the same time.

"It was a very bright ball of white light, then dimmer to the horizon," she said. "We thought this was very unusual due to the bright daylight and how vivid the object was."

Tracey Cordaro of North Las Vegas said the sighting "took my breath away."

"It was amazing," she said. "It looked as if it was disintegrating rapidly, but was still quite large when it disappeared from my view ... (It was) bright green, visible in the bright sunlight."

Dan Ruby, associate director of the Fleischmann Planetarium at the University of Nevada, Reno, said it's unlikely the fireball had anything to do with the current peak of the Lyrid meteor shower.

"People are putting two and two together and saying it has something to do with the meteor shower," he said. "But the fireball was probably coincidental and unrelated to the peak of the meteor shower."

Though the fireball was seen over such a wide area, Ruby said it was likely just "a little bigger than a washing machine."

SOURCE: MERCURYNEWS.COM