Two people were killed and four others critically hurt in an explosion at Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., on Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press reports. Burt Rutan, president of the company, was reached by the AP and said he had no information about the incident but was on his way to the scene. Local TV news showed the blast scene in a remote corner of the airport, with wrecked vehicles and equipment strewn over the site.
The accident involved nitrous oxide, a local fire official told KABC-TV reporters, which is used as a fuel in rocket motors. SpaceShipOne was built by Scaled, and a second generation of ships is currently being built for Virgin Galactic. Fire officials were concerned that hazardous materials might be found at the site.
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