At least 16 people were injured in an explosion at an FBI training facility in California on Wednesday, police confirmed, with at least 13 people suffering “dizziness and ringing to their ears.”
According to the Orange County Sheriff, multiple members of the OC Sheriff SWAT team were injured during its annual joint training exercise with the Sheriff’s Hazardous Devices Section–otherwise known as the bomb squad–at the FBI Special Agent Jerry Crowe Regional Tactical Training Facility in Irvine.
“During the training, an explosion occurred indoors causing injuries to sixteen members of the SWAT team,” a statement said, without going into further detail on the nature of the explosion or the type of training being undertaken at the time. The Orange County Fire Authority told NBC Los Angeles that the explosion took place at 12:54 p.m. local time.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fifteen members were transported to local hospitals by ambulance, while one of the injured transported himself, police said. One requires surgery to a non-life threatening leg injury while another suffered a superficial injury to his leg. A third suffered a superficial injury to his back.
The remaining were transported to the hospital with “dizziness and ringing to their ears.”
According to NBC, most of the injured have been released from hospital.
No FBI personnel were injured.
“It’s not a good feeling any time an injury happens to anybody, including members of our own staff, which I am encouraged to say that we acted properly,” Sgt. Frank Gonzales said in a press conference, according to the outlet. “We have medical plans in place, and they were activated immediately because the safety of all our members is utmost any time we hold a training like this.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, in coordination with the FBI, is investigating.
