Assateague Island National Seashore was closed for most of Thursday after the Antares rocket explosion at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility created hazardous conditions on the beaches.
The southern end of the island in Virginia reopened to the public on Thursday afternoon after NASA and other assessment teams could survey they area and make sure no debris landed in the refuge or got into the water or marsh.
"I guess it's the safe thing to do until it's cleared. Until somebody walks the perimeters of the shoreline and makes sure nothing that a child or elderly or somebody is uncertain of what they're touching could be contaminated," says park visitor Ronald Pont.
Some debris may wash up on beaches around Wallops and may contain hazardous materials. If you find any debris from the explosion do not approach it and call the Wallops Incident Response team at 757-824-1295.
Click here for our full coverage of the Antares rocket explosion.
