Fighter jet from South Dakota guard crashes in California

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – An F-16 fighter jet that crashed in Southern California was based in Sioux Falls.

The pilot ejected and parachuted to safety before the Air National Guard fighter plane hit the warehouse in an industrial area near the March Reserve Air Base in Riverside County Thursday afternoon.

Fire officials say a dozen people on the ground were hosed off for exposure to debris before being taken to hospitals for evaluation and treatment of minor injuries. The crash started a small fire that was quickly doused by the building’s sprinklers.

The F-16, which was on a training mission, belonged to the South Dakota Air National Guard in Sioux Falls.

AP-WF-05-17-19 1111GMT