Thursday, July 19, 2018

A U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter landing in a remote training area kicked up wind that caused the tent structure to collapse, injuring 22 soldiers at Fort Hunter Liggett on California's central coast

Army officials say 22 soldiers were injured at Fort Hunter Liggett on California's central coast after a large tent collapsed.

The Army says that at around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, a Blackhawk helicopter landing in a remote training area kicked up wind that caused the tent structure to collapse.

Two of the injured were flown to the trauma center at Community Regional Medical Center in Downtown Fresno, while two others were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Templeton.

The rest of the injured were treated on site. Officials at the base said there were no reported fatalities.


Fort Hunter Liggett is located about an hour northwest of San Luis Obispo and is primarily used as a training facility, where soldiers learn maneuvers and participate in live fire exercises. The sprawling base is the largest U.S. Army Reserve Command post.
A training event was being conducted at the Fort at the time of the incident. Officials say that it is an Army Reserve training exercise called a Combat Support Training Exercise. Thousands of Army, Navy, Air Force, Army National Guard, Army Reserve and Canadian Armed Forces troops are participating in the exercise.