Debris covers the ground after an explosion in Palm Springs.
Share this @internewscast.com
Police and firefighters responded to an explosion on Saturday that rocked a neighbourhood and damaged a fertility clinic in the tony California city of Palm Springs.

The act was being investigated as a possible car explosion, said two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss preliminary information from an ongoing investigation.

At least one person was believed dead, said one of the officials. Authorities have not disclosed a motive.

Debris covers the ground after an explosion in Palm Springs.
Debris covers the ground after an explosion in Palm Springs. (AP)
This image provided by Nima Tabrizi shows firefighters at the scene of an explosion at Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday
This image provided by Nima Tabrizi shows firefighters at the scene of an explosion at Palm Springs. (AP)

The city of Palm Springs said Saturday in a social medial post that the explosion happened at 11 a.m. local time and that residents were being asked to avoid the area around North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive.

Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on their way to the scene to help assess what happened.

Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, confirmed that his clinic was damaged. He told The Associated Press in a phone interview that all of his staff were safe and accounted for.

The explosion damaged the practice’s office space, where it conducts consultations with patients, but left the IVF lab and all of the stored embryos there unharmed.

“I really have no clue what happened,” Abdallah said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”

Aerial footage showed a burned-out car in a parking lot behind the building that housed the fertility clinic’s office space. The blast caved in the building’s roof and blew a wide debris field across a sidewalk and four lanes of the street on the other side of the structure.

Palm Springs explosion
No embryos were destroyed in the explosion at the fertility clinic. (AP)

Rhino Williams, 47, was chatting with customers at a restaurant he helps manage inside the Skylark Hotel just over a block away from the scene when he heard a huge boom. Everything rattled, he said, and Williams — who has a background in aviation — immediately sprinted to the scene to see if anyone was in need of help, thinking a helicopter might have crashed.

Williams saw a large dark grey plume of smoke and covered his nose with his shirt as he smelled burning plastic and rubber. He said he saw a building had “blown out” into the street, with bricks scattered everywhere, and spotted a car’s axle on fire in the building’s parking lot.

He said it was the only car in the lot that he saw. He ran into the building, calling out and peering behind the counter to see if anyone was inside. He did not hear a response and did not see anyone behind the counter.

Williams said he ran around to check on other nearby buildings. Multiple windows of the neighboring liquor store were also blown out, he said. Once he saw authorities arrive, he headed back to the hotel.

Nima Tabrizi, 37, of Santa Monica, said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.

“The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke,” Tabrizi said. “Crazy explosion. It felt like a bomb went off. … We went up to the scene, and we saw human remains.”

Palm Springs is a tony community in the desert about a two-hour drive east of Los Angeles. Its known for upscale resorts and a history of celebrity residents.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Heavy rain which could bring flooding as well, strong winds and large surf is set to hit Australia's east coast next week.

Powerful weather system to impact NSW with potential flooding, strong winds, and large waves.

Heavy rain which could bring flooding, strong winds and large surf is…
Czechia reported 600 confirmed cases of hepatitis A with 63 per cent being men.

Outbreak of Hepatitis A Reported Across Multiple European Nations

Aussies travelling to Europe have been urged to get vaccinated after an…
a male taking money out of the valet.

Increased Salaries, Improved Parental Leave, and Enhanced Superannuation: Upcoming Changes on July 1

The lives of millions of Australians are going to change next week.…

How a Reported Coding Mistake Left an Australian Trapped in Iran

Sydney resident Amir, unknowingly about to become embroiled in a tense geopolitical…
Tammy Hembrow fled the country this week after announcing her shock split from husband Matt Zukowski

Tammy Hembrow Enjoys a July Christmas Celebration with Her Kids After Leaving the Country Post-Split from Husband Matt Zukowski: ‘This Was Just What I Needed’

Tammy Hembrow fled the country this week after announcing her shock split…
Customer loyalty is big business for Australian retailers.

Upcoming Changes to Your Wallet Starting This Tuesday

With the new financial year almost upon us, some of Australia’s biggest…

Exploring Australia’s $17.3 Trillion Wealth: A Breakdown of Where the Money Resides

New findings from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveal that household…
A desperate search continued today for the missing remains of alleged murder victim Julian Story.

Search Ongoing for Missing Remains Following Reality TV Star’s Murder Charge

Warning: This story contains content some readers may find distressing. A desperate…
Chrystina Page, right, holds back Heather De Wolf, as she yells at Jon Hallford, left, the owner of Back to Nature Funeral Home, as he leaves with his lawyers following a preliminary hearing, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, outside the El Paso County Judicial Building in Colorado Springs, Colo

Funeral Home Director Sentenced to 20 Years for Storing Almost 190 Decomposing Bodies

A funeral home owner in Colorado was sentenced to 20 years in…

Pete Hegseth Celebrates ‘Unprecedented Triumph’ of Strikes as Iran Claims ‘No Benefits Achieved’

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said he was unaware of any…

Are 3D-Printed Homes a Solution to Australia’s Housing Shortage?

At first glance, this construction site in Melbourne’s outer-western suburbs appears like…

US Supreme Court Broadens Presidential Authority in Significant Decision

The United States Supreme Court has handed President Donald Trump a major…