An explosion was reported at a package facility in the San Antonio, Texas area.
The blast happened overnight Tuesday morning at the FedEx Ground distribution center in Schertz, just northeast of San Antonio on FM 3009 Highway.
It was reported that one person received minor injuries from the blast, possibly a concussion and was expected to be OK. An FBI agent told CBS the box was being mailed from Austin and was headed to Austin. The agent said that “it’s more than possible” that this package is related to the explosions that have occurred in Austin in recent days.
Meanwhile, Austin Police are investigating a suspicious package at a FedEx Ground facility in Austin. The city is on high alert after four package explosions in three weeks.
That facility is at 4117 McKinney Falls Parkway, near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin police confirm they are investigating after a call came in at 6:19 a.m. Deputies from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office are also on scene, as well as members of the Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS. FedEx employees evacuated and some were told to go home after a meeting with managers. It’s not known how many were working at the time.
One employee, who asked not to be named, said they didn’t receive warnings about packages at their facilities because previous bombs in Austin were left overnight and not sent through official delivery systems.
“When the boxes come down the belts or the sorters sort them out, you can’t tell if it’s an explosive box,” the employee said. “There’s no way to tell at all.”
There were also unconfirmed reports that the package contained nails.
In Shwertz, ATF and FBI agents were on the scene, along with SWAT and bomb squads and the Schertz Police Department. Officials said around 75 employees cannot leave the building and are being questioned.
FedEx released this statement around 8:00a.m. Tuesday morning, ‘We can confirm that a single package exploded while in a FedEx Ground sortation facility early this morning. One team member is being treated for minor injuries. We are working closely with law enforcement in their investigation. We are not providing any additional specific information about this package at this time.”
Federal agents say this package may be linked to attacks by what they believe is a serial bomber in Austin. Schertz is about 75 miles southwest of Austin.
The latest attack in that Austin was Sunday night, in which two men in their 20s were hurt when they set off a tripwire that detonated a bomb. Three other package explosions in the past three weeks have killed two people and hurt two others.
Austin Police Department is asking the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious. If you come across ANYTHING that looks suspicious, DO NOT touch, handle or disturb it. Keep a safe distance and call 9-1-1 immediately.
