SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Bunker expert says Keller’s hideout not built to withstand

Apr 30, 2012, 5:06 PM | Updated: May 1, 2012, 8:20 am

...

cedargrove
Steel beams help
reinforce a bunker roof. The kits at American Safe House
are made to withstand up to 24,000 pounds of pressure per
square foot, according to Len Henrikson. (Image courtesy
AmericanSafeHouse.com)

Peter Keller spent eight years building his fortified
bunker in the woods along Rattlesnake Ridge. It was
complex, and given how far off the trail, and away from
civilization it was, police acknowledge it was impressive.

But, if bunkers are what you do for a living, like Len
Henrikson with American Safe Room, you see the problems
just from a few photos.

“The structural integrity isn’t something that I’d
recommend for anyone,” Henrikson told 770 KTTH The Truth’s David
Boze
.

Henrikson called Keller’s bunker an expedient or “Spider-
Man” bunker.

“The critical part of a bunker is the roof,” described
Henrikson. “His bunker worked to hold the dirt up, but it
didn’t do much more than that.”

American Safe House sells bunker-making kits, that contain
steel reinforcements. The roof of the kit-bunkers is
designed to support the dirt above it, as well as a “blast
load.” That means that those bunkers can support up to
24,000 pounds per square foot.

The SWAT team at Keller’s bunker did blast through his
roof.

Henrikson also noted that Keller’s intention for the
bunker appear to be much more sinister than the average
American Safe House customer. “Ninety-nine percent of the
people we deal with aren’t crazy – this guy was whacked.”
Most customers, he said, purchase and build a bunker for
one of three reasons: Radiation protection, blast
protection or invasion protection.

Read more:
The
mantracker who found a murder suspect’s bunker

Police find body of murder
suspect inside fortified bunker

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Bunker expert says Keller’s hideout not built to withstand