22 MARINES TREATED AFTER TRAINING ACCIDENT ABOARD THE 29 PALMS BASE

Twenty-two Marines were treated for exposure to a fire-retardant gas Thursday after an extinguishing system accidentally went off in an assault vehicle during a training exercise, but there were no serious injuries. Marine Base representatives said an equipment malfunction caused the fire suppression system to go off inside an amphibious assault vehicle during an afternoon exercise at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base. Marines and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment from Hawaii were participating in Integrated Training Exercise 2-15 when the fire suppression system inadvertently discharged. There was no fire or explosion, but 22 Marines were exposed to halon; all of them were taken to the base hospital. Three were kept overnight for observation and the rest were released to resume training. Halon gas is widely used in fire extinguisher systems because it is relatively nontoxic and leaves no residue, but it can cause breathing problems at high concentrations. In January, two Marine pilots, Capt. Elizabeth Kealey and 1st Lt. Adam Satterfield, were killed when their helicopter crashed during a training exercise at the base. The cause of that crash is under investigation.