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EOD airmen explode 1,300-pound pumpkin

Two mammoth pumpkins were no match for an Air Force explosive ordnance disposal team from Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

On Halloween morning, the two pumpkins, each large enough to fill the bed of a pickup truck, were blown up by the EOD team. While there are no Air Force instructions on how far you should be from an exploding pumpkin, the crowd of onlookers was kept several hundred feet away to prevent injuries from flying seeds, rinds and shells.

The pumpkin blast idea started when Travis EOD technician Staff Sgt. Ronnie Brickey met brothers Mark and Matt Cooley, who sell pumpkins and operate a corn maze near the northern California base.

"They saw the EOD badge on my shirt and approached me with the idea of blowing up their pumpkins," Brickey said in an Air Force release. "I thought it would be a cool way to get some training in and show the public what we do."

The Cooley brothers explained that every year they try to do something extravagant to destroy pumpkins. Last year, they hoisted a half-ton pumpkin with a crane and dropping it onto a vehicle.

"We wanted to help Team Travis host the world's largest pumpkin explosion this year," said Matt Cooley.

EOD took delivery of two massive pumpkins the day before Halloween and cut holes for their explosives with a chainsaw.

"On our range we are regulated to 3.5 pounds of explosives," explained Staff Sgt. Richard Dula, an EOD team member. "Those 3.5 pounds will be more than enough."

Chris Gruenwald, a sophomore at University of California Davis, grew the first pumpkin, weighing in at 743 pounds.

He had no reservations about seeing the pumpkin he grew all summer destroyed. "It was really cool," he said, after pressing the button, shooting pumpkin fragments through the air. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

The main event was a 1,300-pound pumpkin. Brickey yelled "Fire in the hole!" and all eyes focused downrange.

At the press of a button, pumpkin shrapnel flew through the air, reaching more than 100 feet high.

The Cooley brothers are already thinking of Halloween 2009.

"Maybe next year we can drop one out of an airplane," Matt Cooley said.

To see a video of the exploding 1,300-pound pumpkin go to http://cbs13.com/video and type “pumpkin” in the search box.