Firefighters back off when they heard ammo cooking off

Did firefighters in Connecticut do all they could to save the home of a firearms dealer?

Seems when firefighters arrived, they heard ammo exploding in the home... and reportedly chose to fight the fire "defensively", which usually means from outside only.

Click here for how the NBC station in New Britain, Connecticut covered the fire.

I guess it depends on how much ammo was inside and, more on point, what type it was. And whether it was loaded in firearms. But I have to wonder how much factual training these firefighters have when it comes to ammo.

As a rule, ammo in a fire seems to present danger comparable to things like aerosol cans, and perhaps much less risk than things like camping propane tanks, gasoline cans or lawnmowers.

Here's a video. Fast forward to about 13:11 to see how ammo "cooks off" in a fire, and how firefighter turnout gear provides protection at reasonable distances.


Will be interesting to see how investigators assess and grade the efforts of firefighters today in Connecticut.