Police and firefighters responded on Saturday to an explosion that rocked a neighborhood and damaged a fertility clinic in the city of Palm Springs, Tony California.
The law was investigated as a possible car explosion, said that two law enforcement officials informed the case that were anonymity to discuss provisional information from an ongoing investigation. At least one person was believed dead, one of the officials said. Authorities have not announced a motive.
The city of Palm Springs said on Saturday in a social medial post that the explosion took place at 11 am local time and that residents were asked to avoid the area around the Noord -Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive.
Researchers from the FBI and the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, firearms and explosives were on their way to the stage to help assess what happened.
Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the American reproductive centers of fertility clinic, confirmed that his clinic was damaged. He told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that all his employees were safe and justified.
The explosion damaged the office space of the practice, where the consultation with patients carries out, but the IVF lab and all stored embryos left there unharmed.
“I really have no idea what happened,” said Abdallah. “Thank goodness it was a day today that we don't have patients.”
Nima Tabrizi, 37, from Santa Monica, said he was in a cannabis pharmacy nearby when he felt a huge explosion.
“The building just shook and we go outside and there is huge cloud smoke,” said Tabrizi. “Geke explosion. It felt like a bomb was going. … We went to the stage and we saw human remains.”
Tabrizi added that the explosion did not seem to come out of a car.
Palm Springs is a Tony community in the desert over a two-hour ride east of Los Angeles. It is known for luxury resorts and a history of residents of celebrities.
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Tucker reported from Washington. Gene Johnson reported from Seattle.
