An explosion at an FBI training facility on Wednesday injured at least 16 California Sheriff’s Department employees.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s SWAT team was training at the FBI Special Agent Jerry Crow Regional Tactical Training Facility in Irvine shortly before 1 p.m., authorities said. Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
One officer suffered non-life-threatening leg injuries that required surgery, and two others suffered shallow wounds to their backs, officials said.
Another 13 people reported dizziness or tinnitus.
Fifteen of the officers were taken to the hospital, one of them driving himself.
The group was conducting an annual joint training exercise with the sheriff’s dangerous devices division when the incident occurred inside a small building at the facility.
Details and causes of the explosion have not been released, but the sheriff’s office and FBI are investigating.
Video from the scene showed investigators wearing protective gear searching the scene and examining a large red robot outside the building. Debris could be seen scattered near the entrance.
“We are investigating an incident that occurred today during a training session with law enforcement partners at the FBI Training Facility in Irvine that resulted in an injury,” the FBI said in a statement.
