1 million rounds of ammo found after California fire


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NORCO, Calif. - More than 1 million rounds of ammunition, a cache of weapons and a tunnel were found inside a man's home after an explosive fire that forced a neighborhood evacuation, authorities said Friday.

Three 25-gallon containers filled with an unknown fluid were found in the tunnel, which began in the garage and stretched about 10 feet into the backyard. The fluid was being analyzed by hazardous material experts, said Norco Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron Knueven.

Firefighters responded to a blaze Thursday afternoon at the Norco home, about 45 miles east of Los Angeles, and found what was believed to be the largest amount of ammunition ever discovered in the county, authorities said.

The fire caused some of the ammunition to explode, forcing evacuation of the neighborhood and keeping firefighters at a distance. The blaze, which caused the roof to collapse, was eventually extinguished.

"It sounded like firecrackers, they were going off quite a bit," said neighbor Frank Jackson, who rushed home when he heard about the fire.

When he got there, he said firefighters were swarming over the burning house but the explosions were so intense that firefighters on the roof had to abandon it.

"The shells were going off and you had to back off," he said.

On Friday, sheriff's deputies aided by agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives combed the house for evidence.

Dozens of metal and cardboard boxes filled with ammunition for shotguns, small handguns and assault rifles recovered from the home sat in a driveway. Two of the assault rifles were illegal and the man had no permit for 75 pounds of black gunpowder that was found, said Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Juan Zamora.

Authorities also discovered a machine in the garage that was used to load the gunpowder into empty casings. The practice known as "reloading" is common and not illegal because ammunition is often expensive, ATF spokeswoman Susan Raichel said.

No arrests have been made. The man, whose identity was not released, was taken to a hospital where he will receive a psychological evaluation, authorities said.

The man also tried to run back into the house after firefighters arrived and had to be restrained by sheriff's deputies, Zamora said.

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That's scary. One million rounds is the largest cache they found in the county. I hope its a typo and it should be 'Country" (as in U.S.A). If someone has more than one million rounds in a private collection, I have to wonder why.

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Against who, and who might they be after as well?

Its America, they love their guns, so he doesn't have to be after anyone

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Probaly some wacked out psycho that thinks he needs to defend himself against 'the man'.

That's possible if they had him undergo a psych evaluation. He could also be selling the ammunition and firearms.

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Let's watch this carefully - if he mentions "John Connor" or "Sarah Connor", we're in deep trouble, folks!

:cool:

--ScottKin

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Wait 30 years, you'll wish you had 1 million rounds of ammo + weapons stored away secretly. :p

Is that you trying to be witty? Because I hardly see how this is supposed to be funny/sarcastic.

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