FBI, ATF respond to explosion in Palm Springs

Federal and local authorities are investigating an explosion that occurred Saturday morning in the area of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California.

Palm Springs city officials said in a Facebook post that the blast occurred just before 11 a.m. local time along North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive. Several health care facilities, including American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic, and Desert Regional Medical Center, are along that roadway.

American Reproductive Centers said in its own Facebook post that a “vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building.”

The clinic said that it learned one person was killed and several more injured in the explosion, but that has not been confirmed by authorities. No clinic employees were injured in the blast, the clinic added. 

“Our lab—including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials—remains fully secure and undamaged,” the clinic also wrote. 

In a statement, the office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that Newsom had been “been briefed on the explosion at a health facility in Palm Springs.” 

An FBI spokesperson told CBS News in an email it was “responding with our partners with investigators, bomb techs and ERT.”

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also said it was “aware of the situation and enroute to assist our State and local counterparts.”

Bill Essayli, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a post to X that the Justice Department was “aware of the explosion that occurred this morning in Palm Springs. FBI is on scene and will be investigating whether this was an intentional act. We will release as much information as possible once we are able to confirm details.”

The city of Palm Springs asked residents to stay away from the area. Newsom’s office stated it was coordinating with local and federal authorities to support the emergency response. 

This is a developing story and will be updated.