ECOTERRORISM CLAIM: Explosive ammonium nitrate stolen from California-bound train may have been used

[rangerrebew]

ECOTERRORISM CLAIM: Explosive ammonium nitrate stolen from California-bound train may have been used to ignite Canada wildfires
Tuesday, June 13, 2023 by: Arsenio Toledo
 
(Natural News) The wildfires sweeping through much of Canada’s pristine forests may have been intentionally set off using 60,000 pounds of explosive ammonium nitrate that went missing from a train bound for California last month.

This is according to analysts, including Josh Sigurdson of “World Alternative Media,” who presented evidence strongly pointing toward the possibility that the fires were a premeditated act of arson.

“This makes a lot of people wonder exactly what is going on and who benefits,” noted Sigurdson.

Most of the world’s attention has been focused on the more than 400 wildfires engulfing the eastern Canadian province of Quebec. The smoke and particulate matter from there were blown south toward New England and much of the American East Coast.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-06-13-ammonium-nitrate-stolen-from-train-canada-wildfires.html

[Free Vulcan]

Certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Problem is leftists in govt will give their leftist terrorist fifth column groups cover and never investigate.

[PeteS in CA]

"NaturalNews"?

Unsurprisingly, this evidence-free conspiracy theory has a very basic problem, as can be seen by comparing maps of the location of the fires and Canada's rail network:

https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2023/canadian-wildfires-map/

https://tc.canada.ca/en/corporate-services/transparency/corporate-management-reporting/transportation-canada-annual-reports/canada-s-rail-network

The fires are in remote areas beyond Canada's rail network. Unsurprisingly.

[DB]

I thought it was reported that lightning was the likely cause.

[andy58-in-nh]

"NaturalNews"?

Unsurprisingly, this evidence-free conspiracy theory has a very basic problem, as can be seen by comparing maps of the location of the fires and Canada's rail network:

https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2023/canadian-wildfires-map/

https://tc.canada.ca/en/corporate-services/transparency/corporate-management-reporting/transportation-canada-annual-reports/canada-s-rail-network

The fires are in remote areas beyond Canada's rail network. Unsurprisingly.

I have come to call it "Unnatural News".  It comes delivered right to your door, in its original tin foil wrapper. 

[roamer_1]

I thought it was reported that lightning was the likely cause.

Yeah... It's bullcrap. Stealing a carload of fertilizer only to cut it up and smuggle it across the CA border, just to start fires in the wilderness? A half a can of gas and a matchstick would do as well. Hell, I could start those fires with a stick and a shoestring.

Meh.

I'd be looking for something with a whole lot more BOOM...

[Kamaji]

Why would one need ammonium nitrate - which is hard to get and hard to transport without raising questions, especially across an international border - when one could simply buy a hundred gallons of gasoline, or kerosene, or other accelerant, at a local store and use that?

This claim doesn't pass the smell test or Occam's Razor.

[PeteS in CA]

Ammonium nitrate combined in the correct proportion with fuel oil is explosive. Is ammonium nitrate by itself flammable? As for possibly being flammable when combined with fuel oil, if Hypothetical Arsonist has fuel oil, why would Hypothetical Arsonist need ammonium nitrate to execute their arson?

[Kamaji]

Ammonium nitrate combined in the correct proportion with fuel oil is explosive. Is ammonium nitrate by itself flammable? As for possibly being flammable when combined with fuel oil, if Hypothetical Arsonist has fuel oil, why would Hypothetical Arsonist need ammonium nitrate to execute their arson?

Good point.

According to a quickie search, ammonium nitrate will not burn on its own; it acts as an oxidizer and provides oxygen to cause other materials to burn.

[Bigun]

Good point.

According to a quickie search, ammonium nitrate will not burn on its own; it acts as an oxidizer and provides oxygen to cause other materials to burn.

The largest industrial accident in the history of this country (Texas City, Texas) involved ammonium nitrate and happened because the first responders on scene made some very bad choices in trying to deal with the fires.

[Kamaji]

The largest industrial accident in the history of this country (Texas City, Texas) involved ammonium nitrate and happened because the first responders on scene made some very bad choices in trying to deal with the fires.

It's certainly not something to mess around with, that's for sure.  That being said, it's highly unlikely that anyone stole 60k pounds - 30 tons - of the stuff in the U.S., ferreted it over the border and into Canada, and then used it to start forest fires in Canada.

[bigheadfred]

Ammonium nitrate combined in the correct proportion with fuel oil is explosive. Is ammonium nitrate by itself flammable? As for possibly being flammable when combined with fuel oil, if Hypothetical Arsonist has fuel oil, why would Hypothetical Arsonist need ammonium nitrate to execute their arson?

Ammonium nitrate doesn't burn. But it does oxidize. Which would give an acceleratant more effectiveness. Most likely only in an enclosed environment. Transporting it out to BFC to start fires is completely ridiculous

[Bigun]

It's certainly not something to mess around with, that's for sure.  That being said, it's highly unlikely that anyone stole 60k pounds - 30 tons - of the stuff in the U.S., ferreted it over the border and into Canada, and then used it to start forest fires in Canada.

No disagreement from me about that.

[Bigun]

Ammonium nitrate doesn't burn. But it does oxidize. Which would give an acceleratant more effectiveness. Most likely only in an enclosed environment. Transporting it out to BFC to start fires is completely ridiculous

The Texas City, Texas incident mentioned above was caused by sailors on the ship involved trying to put out fires they thought were burning in the ship's hold by dogging down the hatches.