Investigation begins into cause of Arkansas plant explosion as fire crews end monitoring

Firefighters monitoring the scene of an explosion at a Calhoun County plant that manufactures military flares were released from their duties Tuesday morning, the fire chief said.

The explosion, which occurred just before 7 p.m. Monday at Esterline Defense Technologies, caused a fire that required crews to monitor the area overnight to make sure burning embers didn't reignite the blaze, said Ron Nash, the assistant fire chief for the Camden Fire Department.

"It was just a safety precaution," he said. "They don't see any safety concerns out there anymore."

Camden Mayor Marie Trisollini said Esterline officials were inspecting the scene, and they had obtained surveillance footage from the building to determine what caused the explosion.

Two people injured in the explosion were taken to Arkansas Children's Hospital burn unit, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported. Their names and conditions were not released as of 11:15 a.m. Tuesday.

A phone call to Esterline was not immediately returned.

Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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