Thaindian News

May 05 (THAINDIAN NEWS) An explosion that completely destroyed one building, and may have damaged others, rocked a US Army Base just outside Huntsville Alabama at 8:45 this morning (Wednesday). Redstone Arsenal officials first reported that one person had been killed and one seriously injured, but new reports are saying that the two were both still alive, one with burns to 80% of his body and the other with burns to 100% of his body. The explosion took place at an Army Base in north Alabama.

Deputy Pubic Affairs Officer Kimberly Henry stated that one of the injured was being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Birmingham Alabama, and the other was being taken to a hospital in Huntsville. The location of the explosion was said to be inside a building which handles aviation and missile testing. The building was completely destroyed, according to FOX news. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, and it’s exact location was in Building 7352.

All of the other employees have been said to be accounted for. Madison County emergency operations coordinator Jim Pockrus said the morning explosion occurred at Redstone Arsenal on the sprawling military base at Huntsville that is home to the Army missile command. He stated that it was a “chemical type” explosion, and added that they were not requesting any help from city or county responders.

Redstone Arsenal has 32,000 employees, and sits on 38,000 acres in Huntsville, Alabama. The base is also the center of Army missile and helicopter programs, and develops and maintains weapons systems for the US Army. Federal government provided explosives training takes place on base, for local bomb technicians, and investigators. The planning for the National Center for Explosives Training and Research started in 2002, just after the 9/11 attacks, and they graduated first in their class last year.