As the fast-spreading 117 Fire burned east Tuesday night, a social media message flashed out that the Pueblo Chemical Depot was being put on pre-evacuation notice.
It was a message that wasn't intended for public distribution -- after all, the depot houses more than 740,000 old chemical agent weapons -- but it served to underline how fast the 40,000-acre wildfire was spreading as gusting winds blew it east and south from the Hanover area.
The depot area alone is 23,000 acres of open prairie that contains more than 900 concrete-and-steel storage bunkers, or "igloos." Slightly over 100 of those igloos house old artillery and mortar shells that contain mustard agent.
By the time the fire was contained Thursday, it had destroyed 23 houses and forced more than 1,000 rural residents to evacuate.
So how prepared is the depot to deal with a fast-moving wildfire?
Army officials emphasized this week that a security force is always at the depot, regardless of fires or other threatening conditions. It is the garrison's job to ensure the security of old mustard-agent weapons stored there.
"In the case of fire or other events, (essential personnel) would continue their duties guarding the stockpile," the Army said this week in response to questions about depot safety.
The depot has a force of Army security guards, Army Civilian Police, and a Special Reaction Team to guarantee the perimeter of the chemical weapons area as well as the new demilitarization plant for neutralizing mustard weapons.
The depot also has its own fire department but on March 17, it needed assistance from Pueblo County departments to stop a wildfire that burned or damaged three warehouse buildings.
The storage igloos themselves are designed to be fireproof.
They have heavy metal doors and concrete walls. They are covered with dirt and vegetation, which would be the only part that would burn in a wildfire.
Also, the ventilation system in an igloo is designed to melt and self-seal when outdoor temperatures top 160 degrees.
"Past fires have proven this is an effective system," the Army said this week. "Fire would burn over the earth cover without damaging anything but the vegetation on top."
The last time workers at the weapon-neutralization plant were evacuated was in 2011, when a wildfire on the depot threatened the plant.
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