Palm Springs Explosion Damages Fertility Clinic

U.S.|Palm Springs Explosion Damages Fertility Clinic

A Palm Springs, Calif., fertility clinic was damaged on Saturday in what the mayor called “an apparent explosion.”

Reports of a loud boom and images of broken glass and billowing smoke began to be shared on social media around 11 a.m. local time.

The mayor, Ron deHarte, said there were still structures on fire in the area.

He added that there were no reports of injuries as of yet and that the source of the explosion was not immediately known.

A phone number for the clinic, American Reproductive Centers, did not appear to be in service on Saturday.

A website for the office listed fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization and egg freezing, among its services.

The police, firefighters and medical crews were on the scene, the mayor said. Mr. deHarte said that the public should avoid the area.

Videos showed flames licking the shattered terra-cotta tiles of the clinic’s roof as debris clogged its entrance.

The air was gray as firefighters tugged hoses across the street. Some neighboring businesses also appeared to be damaged, with a local liquor store’s front windows blown out.

Claudio Chavez, who works at an upholstery shop near the explosion, said that his store’s windows were blown out.

“I was just in my shop waiting for clients, and all of a sudden it felt like a big explosion,” he said. “It took out our window. I just saw a bunch of smoke.”

He said people came out of homes and businesses onto the street to see what happened. Mr. Chavez, a logistics manager at the shop, said he began picking up debris and sweeping up broken glass.

This is a developing story and will be updated.