Scrap yard worker dies in military ordinance explosion

One worker is dead after allegedly cutting into military ordnance at a scrap metal dealer in Arizona.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- One worker is dead after allegedly cutting into military explosives at a scrap metal dealer in Arizona.

The incident happened just before 1 p.m. in Tucson Arizona according to a media release from the area police department. That's when a South Tucson police officer was flagged down by a resident about an explosion.

Based on preliminary investigation, police said that it appears that the victim was a cutter for Tucson Iron and Metal and cut into what turned out to be explosive ordnance.

Local fire crews and bomb squads from the police department and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base were called to the scene.

At this point, police are uncertain how the explosive ordnance ended up at the scrap yard and investigators are working to understand the circumstances behind the incident.