Weapon Storage Area (WSA)

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An ammunition depot, ammunition supply point (ASP), ammunition compound,ammunition handling area (AHA), ammunition dump, ammo dump, or bomb dump, is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives.

The storage of live ammunition and explosives is inherently hazardous. There is the potential for accidents in unloading, packing and transfer; the threat of theft, misuse or sabotage; and, if neglected, the near-certainty that poorly stored explosives will catch fire and/or degrade and become shock-sensitive over time.

Despite intensive preventive measures, ammunition depots around the world suffer from non-combat fires and explosions - rarely, but mostly with devastating consequences. Usually, an ammunition depot experiencing even minor explosions in one of its sites/buildings, is immediately evacuated together with surrounding civilian areas. Thus, all of the stored ammunition is left to detonate itself completely for days or weeks, with very limited attempts at firefighting from a safe distance.[1] If the ammunitions are artillery shells and other heavy types, the whole depot site affected is typically levelled.