IRVINE — Sixteen Orange County sheriff’s SWAT deputies were injured in an explosion during a training exercise Wednesday at an FBI facility in Irvine, but the injuries were considered relatively minor.
Members of the SWAT team were conducting a joint training with the sheriff’s Hazardous Devices Section, which is the bomb squad, at the FBI Special Agent Jerry Crowe Regional Tactical Training Facility in Irvine.
During the training, something exploded indoors, according to a sheriff’s statement.
All but one of the 16 injured were transported to hospitals by ambulance. One self-transported.
One deputy suffered a non-life-threatening leg injury that will require surgery, Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Frank Gonzalez said. Another suffered a superficial injury to his leg, and another suffered a superficial injury to his back. Thirteen other people were transported after reports of dizziness and ringing in their ears.
Orange County Fire Authority paramedics were dispatched at 12:54 p.m. to the training center at Irvine Boulevard and Magazine Road, said OCFA Capt. Sean Doran.
The training facility hosts firearms training and qualifications tests for the bureau and local law enforcement agencies, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
During the training exercise, which is an annual event, a device exploded in one of the rooms used for training, Gonzalez said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, Gonzalez said.
Helicopter news footage showed a small one-story building encircled by yellow police tape surrounded by grassy fields.
No FBI personnel were injured, said Eimiller.
The sheriff’s department and the FBI will investigate, Gonzalez said.
Staff Photographer Mark Rightmire, City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
