AAV hit a gas line?

Thanks to John for the link!

via Marine Corps Times

An amphibious vehicle hit a gas line sparking a fire that injured 14 Marines and a sailor during a training exercise at a California base earlier this week, a US military official said Friday.

The vehicle got stuck and as it tried to get free, it hit the gas line, said the official who was not authorized to discuss the incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Marines from the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment and 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion and a Navy corpsman were conducting a combat readiness evaluation as part of their battalion training at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, when the amphibious vehicle ignited in an inland area of Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, said Marine 1st Lt. Paul Gainey.

The troops were sent to area hospitals, including eight who were rushed to a burn center. On Wednesday, five were listed in critical condition. The Marine Corps has declined to release information on their conditions since then, citing privacy concerns.

The command is investigating the cause of the incident. Gainey said he had no further information to release.

Story here. 

God bless those boys and I hope the Marine Corps is johnny on the spot to ensure that happens.

As far as the incident is concerned the explanation just doesn't sound right. I'm not saying that they're lying.  Not at all.  I'm just saying that it sounds inconceivable to me.  If this is true then our training areas and the trails leading to them need to be totally revamped....or better maintained.

I look forward to a more detailed explanation in the future, but again, the focus is on the Marines that were injured.