Spark from ammunition testing causes fire at Harford laboratory
David Anderson
daanderson@baltsun.com
STREET, MARYLAND
A fire ignited by a spark from a ricochet during an ammunition test caused an estimated $25,000 in damage at H.P. White Laboratory Inc. in northern Harford County Wednesday morning, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
The fire, which was reported at 9:47 a.m., happened at the H.P. White facility in the 3100 block of Scarboro Road in Street, according to a notice of investigation from the Fire Marshal’s Office. The building is described in the report as a “50x100 concrete block structure.”
H.P. White conducts tests on firearms and ammunition, as well as a slew of ballistic safety gear for law enforcement and the military, ballistic protection for vehicles, plus testing for an array of safety equipment used in the civilian world, such as in industry, public safety and sports, according to the company’s website.
The round of ammunition being tested ricocheted after hitting its target, causing a spark that started a fire in ceiling insulation, according to Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire.
Alkire stressed testing facilities such as those operated by H.P. White have strong safety records, but accidents such as Wednesday’s fire do happen from time to time in Harford County, considering the area’s proximity to the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground.
“They have a very strong safety record,” Alkire said. “Just from the amount of testing done every day in these facilities, this is a very small incident that atypically occurs.”
The Darlington Volunteer Fire Company responded. It took five minutes to get the fire under control, according to the notice of investigation. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Lab employees were trying to put out the fire when firefighters arrived, and the fire company then entered and “completely extinguished” the blaze, Alkire said.
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HP White is the most diverse ballistic and PPE test laboratory in the world: providing independent analysis of firearms and firearms safety devices; ammunition; impact resistant products; body armor; vehicular and structural armor; military, commercial and athletic headgear; chemical and biological resistant products; eyewear; and fall protection equipment.
After more than 75 years, today HP White Laboratory serves customers globally in Defense, Law Enforcement and Corrections, First Responder, Athletics and Industrial products markets.
Our state of the art testing facilities
Located in rural Street, MD — 50 minutes North of Baltimore and under two hours from Washington DC — HP White operates on 165 acres with 9 indoor ballistic ranges, 25 and 300 yard outdoor ranges, and a full complement of PPE testing facilities. Located in Cortland, NY – 30 minutes South of Syracuse and two hours from Albany – HP White operates a 15,000 square-foot non-ballistic test laboratory, complete with flame, respiratory, physical properties, chemical, biological, fall protection, human factors and blunt impact testing facilities.