F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes Into California Building

An F-16 fighter jet being flown in routine training exercises crashed into a warehouse just outside March Air Reserve Base in Southern California on Thursday, the pilot ejected and five people on the ground were reported injured, military officials said.

The extent of the injuries was unclear and the pilot was reportedly “transported to a local hospital for evaluation,” officials with the United States Air Force Reserve said in a release late Thursday.

Earlier it was stated by officials that there were no reported injuries.

The fighter jet was assigned to the 114th Fighter Wing, Souix Falls, South Dakota and was conducting a training mission for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), officials said.

The Los Angeles Times, citing a base fire official, reported that the crash ignited a small fire, and a photo of the accident scene posted on local television station KCAL-TV showed a gaping hole in the roof of a large gray building.