Explosion At Iowa Munitions Plant - KWQC-TV6 News and Weather For The Quad Cities -

Explosion At Iowa Munitions Plant

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KWQC-TV has been able to confirm an explosion at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, Iowa. According to an official from the plant, it happened around 5 p.m. Thursday on the plant's line one operating bay during the remote pressing of a 40-pound Octal charge. Because the pressing process is remote, the area was unoccupied and no one was injured.

The plant's one emergency crew put out the fire that resulted from the explosion after about 45 minutes.

A portion of the building was damaged from the blast. The cause is still being investigated.

According to our archives, the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant has been operating in Middletown since 1941. It makes missile warheads, tank ammunition, artillery rounds and demolition charges.

There are more than 1,500 buildings that cover almost 20,000 acres just west of Burlington, Iowa.