Army investigating cause of fire at chemical weapons depot

The Army is still investigating the cause of a warehouse fire at a chemical weapons depot in southern Colorado but says the weapons weren’t in danger.

Col. Christopher Rice said Monday the fire at the Pueblo Chemical Depot has been contained.

The fire broke out Saturday about 4 miles from bunkers containing nearly 780,000 shells filled with liquid mustard agent. The Army is destroying the shells under an international treaty.

The fire destroyed two warehouses and damaged a third. Depot spokesman Aaron Clementi says one warehouse contained protective gear.

A week earlier, a fire broke out at the Army’s Fort Carson, about 35 miles northwest of the Pueblo depot. That fire spread to private land, destroying at least two homes and charring 5 square miles (13 square kilometers).