Unknown event in United States of America on Wed 13th March 2024

LOCAL NEWS 16 injured in explosion at FBI training facility in Irvine losangeles By Dean Fioresi Updated on: March 13, 2024 / 9:43 PM PDT / KCAL News Sixteen people were injured during an explosion at an FBI training facility in the Southern California city of Irvine Wednesday, officials said. Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies were using the facility on Magazine Road when the incident occurred a little before 1 p.m., a department spokesperson told CBS Los Angeles. Thirteen of the injuries were related to the noise of the blast, resulting in the victims suffering from dizziness and ear pain, the sheriff's department said. Two of the injuries were to victim's legs, one of whom required surgery. Another person suffered a back injury but will not require surgery, the sheriff's spokesperson said. "It's not a good feeling anytime an injury happens to anybody, including members of our own staff," said OCSD Sergeant Frank Gonzalez . "The most severe injury that was sustained was one of our SWAT team members had a leg injury that is gonna require surgery." Fifteen of the victims were taken to nearby hospitals by Orange County Fire Authority paramedics, while one person self-transported, the sheriff's department said. The incident occurred during a joint training exercise between the OCSD's Bomb Squad and SWAT teams, the sheriff's spokesperson said, and the explosion happened inside of a small building on the FBI property. "The device was part of the training. As far as what they were doing when it happened, that I don't know," Gonzalez said. He says that all of the units were wearing tactical gear at the time of the explosion, and that medical crews were already on scene as part of the exercise. "We have medical plans in place and they were activated immediately because the safety of all our members is our utmost anytime we hold a training like this," Gonzalez said. The FBI is now leading the investigation. "A training incident that occurred today at the FBI's training facility in Irvine with law enforcement partners resulted in some injuries and is under investigation," said a statement from the FBI. SkyCal was overhead as investigators scoured the scene, several of which could be seen wearing what looked like protective suits as they examined what looked like a bunker and some sort of robotic equipment.