Detonations
Munitions and Explosives of Concern exist on the former Fort Ord in areas such as weapons ranges where the Army used military munitions during training. The Fort Ord environmental cleanup includes the cleanup of those ranges and other areas where military munitions are found to have been used or stored.
When Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) are located during the environmental cleanup of the former Fort Ord, the items are prepared and detonated using engineering design (such as consolidation, soil tamping, sand bagging, etc.), sequencing, and equipment, as well as limiting the net explosive weight of each shot as appropriate to control the explosive hazard and provide for public safety.
Click here to watch a short video clip of a November 8, 2016 detonation. A few details about this November 8 detonation: Used 4 explosions (shots) to detonate 160 suspected UXO. The items detonated included forty suspected 81 millimeter High Explosive projectiles and on hundred and twenty 81milimeter target practice projectiles (120). The detonated items were located during recent Munitions and Explosives of Concern removal actions. The net explosive weight of the combined detonations, which is the explosive content of all the items and the associated detonation charges was 59.604 lbs.
Click here to watch a short video clip of a April 17, 2019 detonation.
For detonation updates you can also call 1-800-852-9699.
Please note the the Monterey County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad also trains on the former Fort Ord. They have occasional detonations during training sessions. If a detonation is not scheduled as a part of the U.S. Army Fort Ord cleanup, we recommend that you check with the Sheriff’s office for their detonation schedules.
The four photos below show the key steps involved with a detonation.
The munitions are lined up in a pit.
A charge and detonation cord are added then everything is buried.
The detonation occurs.
This is the post-detonation look of the pit.