Plans for a new munitions storage complex at the annex within Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is raising fears among local residents, stemming from an explosion at the facility which occurred in 1944, as reported by The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

“The plan contains too much uncertainty and undisclosed materials,” said Poka Laenui of the Institute for the Advancement of Hawaiian Affairs. “The public is unable to effectively participate in this process or to condone an action which it does not understand.”

The explosion in 1944 at the Navy’s West Loch Annex left 163 men dead and nearly 400 wounded.

The complex would house 35 storage magazines and a range of support structures. This would enable the relocation of existing Army munitions operations at Lualualei Annex in Waianae.

The project would have several phases beginning in 2022.

The Naval Facilities Engineering Command issued a statement saying the project would “improve safety by providing state-of-the-art magazine storage and significantly reducing the movement of ordnance on Oahu roadways,” Military.com reported.

US Navy Photo