5 Law Enforcement Officers Injured in Pa. Prison Training Blast
By Ximena Conde
Source The Philadelphia Inquirer
UPDATE: Authorities said five people were injured in the explosion, including three members of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and an FBI Philadelphia agent, WHYY-TV reports.
PHILADELPHIA—The FBI and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a Thursday morning explosion that took place during a law enforcement training exercise at SCI Phoenix prison in Skippack Township, Montgomery County.
The FBI didn’t immediately say how many were injured when a live training device unexpectedly detonated but bomb technicians from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police and FBI Philadelphia were among those sent to area hospitals.
The number of those injured and their conditions were not immediately made known by federal investigators, but a Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson confirmed at least one of the agency’s members sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The FBI’s Philadelphia field office was holding explosives response training for law enforcement partners at SCI Phoenix at the time of the incident. Todd Stieritz, spokesperson for the county’s Department of Public Safety, said those at the scene called emergency services for backup shortly before 10 a.m.
Early aerial footage by 6ABC showed a white car surrounded by smoke and surrounding grass either burned or covered in soot.
Stieritz said the incident had entered the investigation phase.
All questions are being directed to the FBI’s Philadelphia field office, which was not immediately available for additional comment.
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