Army says 2 dead after propellant accident at north Ala. Army base that tests missiles

2 dead after explosion at Ala. Army base

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Two contract workers died after being injured in an explosion while removing a propellant from rockets at Redstone Arsenal, where the Army conducts missile and weapons research.

The public affairs office at the post in Huntsville said the two died Wednesday night after being flown to the burn unit at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

Base officials said Thursday the names of the workers would be released later. Both worked for a Redstone contractor, Amtech Corp., and were injured in an explosion at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday while removing ammonium perchlorate from rockets at a test site. The Army described the chemical as an oxidizer used in solid rocket propellant.

There was no word on what caused the explosion, which left part of the building in wreckage. A third worker was nearby but escaped harm, and there was no environmental impact from the accident, the Army said.

A statement from Deputy Public Affairs Officer Kim Henry said the building recently passed safety inspections and was designed to minimize the impact of possible explosions, but “the work that we perform is inherently dangerous work.”

Redstone Arsenal is home to the U.S. Army Missile Command and says it employs 32,000 workers on a base covering 38,000 acres at Huntsville.