Day three of detonations continues

RALEIGH

A Fort Bragg team will be detonating more mortar shells found at Raleigh Metals Processors.

Several rounds of the ammunition were set off Wednesday, shaking the southeast Raleigh neighborhood off Garner Road.

Residents have been ordered out -- again, for their own safety.

Someone took the live ammunition to the facility for recycling.

Experts were back on the site at 8 a.m. Thursday looking for more live ammunition. Even though the recycling plant has been out of operation going on its third day, the owner says they aren't completely out of luck.

Residents at the Biltmore Hills Apartments were evacuated and allowed home Wednesday night, but they had to leave Thursday morning so experts could get rid of any lived ammunition left at the facility.

"We do get upwards of 300 to 400 people a day, at times, bringing us all different materials," Raleigh Metals Processor owner Greg Brown said. "Everything from pots and pans to bicycles."

Brown says despite the setback, his business isn't down and out. He owns a similar facility in Goldsboro that processes scrap metal.

Despite 20 explosions Wednesday, Brown says the facility has suffered virtually no damage.

"With all the explosions, we have a trailer that is about 30 feet from the explosion and the windows in the trailer are still intact," Brown said.

Police say they're further along in their investigation into how the live ammunition ended up at the plant. Brown says they've already determined who brought it there.

"We follow North Carolina laws," Brown said. "We have driver's licenses, numbers and signatures from people and, in fact, that investigation is going on and we've been cooperative."

Several of the residents evacuated were able to stay at a church in Garner.

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