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Letterkenny Army Depot, Pennsylvania. – Four Letterkenny Army Depot employees were injured Thursday morning in an apparent explosion that resulted in a fire, according to public affairs representative Nora Zubia.
Zubia said the incident occurred in Building 350, inside a paint shop at around 7:20 this morning. The fire was contained and the depot has accounted for all of the workforce. The injured employees were transported to local medical facilities for treatment, according to Zubia.
Early indications are that at least three of the patients suffered burn injuries and were transported by air to area hospitals.
The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority,” said Col. Stephen Ledbetter, Letterkenny Army Depot commander. “And, the injured employees and their families are in our thoughts and prayers The Letterkenny Army Depot’s Safety specialists are conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident, so we can determine what happened.
Letterkenny Army Depot, a subordinate of U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, is situated on 18,600 acres in Chambersburg, Penn. Letterkenny is the organic maintenance facility for refurbishment, maintenance, manufacturing and logistics life-cycle support for Tactical Missile Air Defense Systems and various other programs. LEAD’s highly skilled workforce is focused on Soldier support missions, and is recognized as a “one-stop shop” and the “depot of choice for the warfighter.
Originally established as an ammunition depot, today Letterkenny is known as the Army’s capabilities-based Depot. The depot is headquartered in Chambersburg, Penn., and comprises more than 18,000 acres. Letterkenny is the largest employer in Franklin County with more than 3,600 employees. The depot provides more than a quarter of a billion dollars annually into the region’s economy through payroll and contracts.
Letterkenny supports multiple Army commands, including the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, and the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Products produced at Letterkenny include the Patriot, TOW (tube-launched optically tracked wire-grounded anti-tank missile), Javelin, Avenger, HIMARS (high mobility artillery rocket system), Sentinel, route-clearance vehicles, ground mobility vehicles, material handling equipment, construction equipment, shelters, power generators and Soldier-support equipment.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.