Edwards Air Force Base in California announced that a B-52 Stratofortress crashed on takeoff Monday morning, but details are scarce.

Fox News’s Bill Hemmer read the alert on air:

A Fox News alert taking you out to California, Edwards Air Force Base in California, that base has put out the following alert and it reads like this: “A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress” — it’s a huge plane — “crashed shortly after takeoff on the Edwards Air Field at 11:20 A.M.”

“We assume that to be Pacific Time, which would have been about one hour ago,” Hemmer said. “Statement continues: ‘Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene. Situation is ongoing and more information will be provided as it becomes available.'”

“So you can see that charred runway, the tarmac in Kern County, California,” Hemmer continued. “Here’s what we don’t know is, how many people may have been on board, crew members, passengers. We don’t have an idea just yet. No word on the pilots and if they were able to get out or not. At the moment, we are in the very early stages but we wanted to share that live picture with you out of California and Edwards Air Force Base.”

“The B-52 Stratofortress — which typically carries a crew of five — is a long-range bomber first introduced in the 1950s that remains a central part of the U.S. military’s air power,” ABC News reported. “Built by Boeing, the aircraft is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons over long distances and has been used in conflicts ranging from Vietnam to operations in the Iran war.”

The report added, “The Air Force and NASA conduct test flights of new and developmental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.”

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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