Utah: Dugway Proving Ground, a U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Warfare Facility, Was Locked Down ‘To Resolve a Serious Concern’
January 27th, 2011Update: A Missing Vial of VX
Via: Salt Lake Tribune:
An overnight lockdown, triggered when vial of the deadly VX nerve agent went temporarily missing, was lifted early Thursday morning at Utah’s sprawling, 801,000-acre Dugway Proving Ground.
—End Update—
Update: Mystery Emergency Triggered Dugway Lockdown; Base Reopened Now
Via: Salt Lake Tribune:
An overnight lockdown at the sprawling, 801,000-acre Dugway Proving Ground was lifted early Thursday morning.
Officials at the remote Army installation, 90 miles southwest of Salt Lake City in Utah’s western desert, remained tight-lipped about why they ordered gates closed at 5:24 p.m. Wednesday. Up to 1,500 employees of Dugway reportedly were forced to stay the night.
Dugway would not detail reasons for the shutdown, but did stress that no damages or injuries were reported, and no threats received. The installation does house small amounts of chemical and biological warfare agents for defense testing purposes, and Dugway also is a prime Army base for testing of an array of conventional military weaponry and ammunition.
Asked specifically Thursday if a chemical or biological leak or spill may have prompted the lockdown, Dugway public affairs specialist Bonnie Robinson said she could neither confirm nor deny that scenario.
—End Update—
Via: CNN:
A Utah military facility that tests chemical and biological weapons was locked down “to resolve a serious concern,” and authorities were working to reopen the base, officials said Thursday.
All base personnel were safe and working, and no evacuation was needed, said spokeswoman, Bonnie Robinson. She would not say why the base was locked down.
The U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground has been locked down since 7:25 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, said another spokeswoman, Paula Thomas.
As of about 6:15 a.m. (ET) Thursday, “We have allowed personnel outside the gate to enter Dugway … and are making preparations to begin allowing personnel to go home shortly,” Thomas said.
About 1,500 employees and contractors are stationed at the base.
Dugway commander Col. William E. King IV said earlier authorities were “working as quickly and as thoroughly as possible to resolve a serious concern within the Test Area” but he didn’t elaborate.
