An explosion on Thursday at a Mojave desert airport in California killed two and injured six others seriously, according to a local media report.

Two nitrogen oxide tanks exploded shortly before 3 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) in a remote section of the huge Mojave Air and Space Port, where many experimental airplanes, jets, and even rocket planes are tested, local TV channel KNBC reported.

The nitrogen oxide "flash explosion" ripped through the airport. Earlier reports have speculated that there was a rocket explosion at the airport, about 150 km north of Los Angeles.

Four of the six injured have been flown to the nearby Kern County Medical Center and treated for chemical exposure and other unspecified injuries, as officials were concerned that airport personnel could be exposed to hazardous materials.

Emergency equipment was rushed to the airport from throughout the county after the blast was reported, according to the report.