Explosion at Arkansas gun manufacturer leaves 2 injured, 1 missing • Arkansas Advocate

An early morning explosion at General Dynamics, a defense company that produces aircraft guns, missiles and a variety of munitions in southern Arkansas, left at least two people injured and one missing.

The explosion happened around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday near Camden, a city of about 10,000 in Ouachita County. One person was reportedly transported in an ambulance dispatched from El Dorado, about 35 miles (56 km) to the south.

Information at this stage is limited. A spokesperson for General Dynamics Artillery and Tactical Systems The company said it is working with first responders and cooperating with authorities during an investigation. An update is expected Thursday, spokesman Berkley Whaley said.

Whaley described the incident as one “involving pyrotechnics” and later confirmed it was an explosion. She did not specify where in the nearly 900,000-square-foot Camden manufacturing and storage space the explosion occurred or describe any damage.

Whaley is not based in Camden.

A dispatcher with the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, which is the law enforcement agency where the incident occurred, said General Dynamics has its own first responder team and no assistance was requested from the sheriff's office.

Camden officials were unable to provide any information about the incident Wednesday afternoon. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management also did not provide an update and referred all questions about the explosion to a General Dynamics spokesperson.

General Dynamics has 28 sites in the United States and Canada.