LOS ANGELES _ A roughly 4-mile stretch of the 215 Freeway remained closed Friday morning as authorities investigated the circumstances surrounding the crash of a military fighter jet into a building in Riverside County.
Both directions of the freeway between Harley Knox Boulevard and Cactus Avenue have been closed since about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, about two hours after the F-16 crashed into a building on Van Buren Boulevard. The jet was returning to March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley following a routine training mission when the crash occurred, said the base's deputy fire chief, Timothy Holliday.
It is not clear when the freeway will reopen, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The pilot had reported hydraulics problems and said he was returning to base when he was forced to eject moments before impact, authorities said. The crash ignited a fire but it "wasn't very big," Holliday said. Authorities set up a perimeter while they secured the live ordnance the jet was carrying, he said.
Three people who were on the ground suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene and released, Holliday said, while a Cal Fire official reported that a total of 12 people, including the pilot, were taken to the hospital to be treated. No one suffered life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
A person who was in the industrial building when the plane crashed recorded the immediate aftermath on camera and published it on Facebook.
"Holy ... dude. That's a ... airplane; that's a military airplane in our building," he said, using expletives.
Images from the scene broadcast by local news agencies showed a hole in the roof of the building where the jet apparently crashed. The building, located near the freeway, was loaded with pallets of boxes and other items
A photo from inside the building showed the wreckage of the aircraft amid the debris.
