Two firefighters have been seriously injured in an explosion at the Roswell airport, New Mexico officials have confirmed. The explosion reportedly involved a fireworks storage facility.
About a dozen Roswell firefighters were inside the warehouse, working on a fireworks display, when the explosion took place, around 12:15 pm local time (1615 GMT).
Two of the firefighters were transported to a nearby hospital with “serious, critical injuries,” New Mexico State Police Captain Lance Bateman told reporters. The rest were treated for injuries on the scene.
New Mexico State Police is on the scene and the public has been advised to avoid the area.
"We don't believe there was any malice involved, it is looking accidental," but the investigation into the explosion continues, Bateman said.
Roswell has gained notoriety for being involved in a 1947 “UFO crash.” The US military said the object that crashed near the city was a weather balloon, but UFO enthusiasts have claimed the government has been covering up evidence of extraterrestrial visitation ever since.
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