LOS ANGELES (AP) — Multiple Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were taken to the hospital Tuesday morning after a fire during a “training incident” north of Los Angeles, authorities said.
The extent of the deputies’ injuries weren't immediately known, said sheriff’s department spokesperson Nicole Nishida. It also was not known yet what caused the fire, which fire fighters were still battling in Castaic, a community roughly 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
“We’re still trying to determine that. We know for sure there was a fire,” Nishida said.
The exact number of people injured was also unclear. Fire department officials said four deputies were taken to the hospital before firefighters were on the scene, while Nishida initially said at least two deputies were transported to the hospital. Her department later said in a statement that “several deputies" were injured.
The fire happened at about 9:30 a.m. at a training facility located on a sprawling campus that also houses the Pitchess Detention Center, the sheriff's department said.
Firefighters were dispatched to the law enforcement training facility, near a county jail, at 9:41 a.m., said Fred Fielding, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. They arrived 11 minutes later to find a blaze but the deputies had already been taken to the hospital.
Fielding said there were “live rounds” at the training center, forcing firefighters to be cautious in battling the blaze.
A KTLA helicopter over the scene showed firefighters spraying water into the smoking rear of a parked semitrailer.
Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press
