Civilian killed in blast at Army post

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) - Fort Bragg officials say a civilian killed in an explosion at the North Carolina Army post ignored large warning zones when he entered an area to scavenge for scrap metal.

Ronnie Blue of Hamlet stepped on a round Friday and it exploded. Another man was not injured.

The post said the men were not Army employees. The Fayetteville Observer reported Tuesday that investigators say the second man says he and Blue had previously scavenged for metal in the area overlooking the range where soldiers practice firing artillery, tank shells and smaller weapons.

Installation range officer Bill Edwards says the well-marked areas are so dangerous that soldiers never go into them.

The post is home to the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and Special Operations Command.

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Information from: The Fayetteville Observer