Emergency personnel are responding to an explosion at the American Reproductive Centers building in Palm Springs, California. The incident has rattled homes and startled residents,The Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. Some residents are reporting smoke, according to the outlet. Palm Springs Police Department told the Desert Sun the explosion at about 11 a.m. local time in downtown Palm Springs, which people felt as far as 2 miles away, appeared to be a car explosion at the American Reproductive Centers clinic. Lt. William Hutchinson said there appeared to be at least one fatality. "Everything is in question, whether this is an act of terrorism," he said from the scene. The city of Palm Springs advised residents to stay away from the area so emergency crews could work the scene. The explosion occurred at the American Reproductive Centers along North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, California. According to its website, American Reproductive Centers opened in 2006 and is "Coachella Valley's first and only full-service fertility center & IVF lab." Matt Spencer, a Palm Springs resident who lives in an apartment about 200 yards from where the explosion occurred, told the Desert Sun he walked past the American Reproductive Center about five minutes after he heard the boom. The resident added that he saw the front of the center being blown across the street and into the parking lot of the Desert Regional Medical Center, while the rear axle of a vehicle was burning behind the building. "It was so loud it shook me," Palm Springs resident Tamara Cash, who was jogging a few blocks away when she heard the explosion, told the Desert Sun. As of noon local time, police and ambulances were still arriving at the scene near Desert Regional, and helicopters were hovering over people a couple of blocks away, walking to brunch without a clue of what just happened a street over, the Desert Sun reported. The aftermath of the explosion has been captured by social media users, and it shows extensive damage. Massive explosion in Palm Springs has shaken the whole city here's more footage right on ground.pic.twitter.com/RLGKz8EyBH — NimasWorld (@_nimasworld)May 17, 2025 This is a developing story. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Explosion near Palm Springs fertility clinic, at least one dead
