One of the nation's largest veterans care facilities in the country was put on lockdown Friday morning after reports of an active-shooter and hostage situation, facility officials said.
"Law enforcement authorities have responded to the Yountville Veterans Home this morning following reports of gunfire near the main dining hall. The facility is on lockdown, and all residents and staff are sheltering in place. We will continue to update you as we get more information," said state Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Joshua Kiser in an email.
The 600-acre campus in Napa County was put into lockdown about 10:40 a.m. local time and remained that way more than an hour later. About 840 veterans live on the grounds, Kiser said.
"Everyone is just in alert mode, and we're taking information as it comes," Kiser told the Los Angeles Times in a phone interview from his office on the east side of the campus. "Our shades are drawn. Locked the doors."
An employee who answered the phone said the shooter had taken three hostages but Kiser could not confirm it.
The Napa County Sheriff's Office told people to avoid the area. The facility is just north of Napa, a destination for wine and tourism.
Authorities have urged residents to avoid the area.
