EAST CAMDEN, Ark. (AP) — One worker was killed after a rocket motor at the Aerojet plant in south Arkansas exploded and caught fire, Calhoun County Sheriff Bob Dunn said.
The employee apparently was working on the motor in a bay area when the explosion occurred about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, the sheriff said. He did not release the employee’s name.
The fire was contained by the evening and the site secured, although emergency workers had not recovered the body and planned to resume their search Thursday morning, Dunn said.
The sheriff said it was too dangerous to search the site in the dark with spotty fires still burning.
Company spokesman Glenn Mahone told The Associated Press earlier in the day that workers were involved in “the routine manufacturing process” at the 1,200-acre company compound when an “unplanned ignition of a rocket motor” occurred. Mahone said the company was investigating, but did not know what caused the explosion.
Aerojet, which contracts with the defense department, employs 500 people in the manufacture of weapons at Highland Industrial park. About 450 people would have been working when the explosion occurred.
The park was evacuated and firefighters and emergency workers began working the fire, said Renee Preslar, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. She said no other injuries were reported.
Aerojet is based in Sacramento, Calif. The company makes guided missiles and space propulsion systems.
According to the Head Safety Engineer, the worker is still considered missing at this point. They are still working on clearing and searching the area. It’s most likely he didn’t make it, but they are being tight lipped as there are government officials involved in the investigation.
Alicia, thanks for the information.