5 officers wounded in explosion during training exercise

Five law enforcement officers were injured in an explosion during a training exercise at a Pennsylvania prison on Thursday morning.

The blast occurred around 9:50 a.m. at SCI Phoenix prison in Skippack Township, about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia, officials told WPVI-TV.

Three members of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and an FBI Philadelphia agent were injured in the incident, according to authorities. 

They were all taken to area hospitals. Their conditions are unclear.

A prison spokesperson said members of the MCSO Bomb Squad were setting up an explosive device to be used for a later class “when it prematurely exploded.”

Helicopter footage from the scene recorded by WPVI-TV showed a scorched vehicle in an open grass field. Two medical choppers and a number of police and fire officials were also seen.

Jackie Hickey, a retired bomb tech with the Los Angeles Police Department, told the outlet that reproducing a car bombing is a standard practice in explosion investigation training.