5 injured after bus transit center explosion in U.S. Texas

HOUSTON, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Five people were injured Tuesday after an explosion at a bus transit operations center in El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, according to the El Paso Fire Department.

One person was seriously injured, as reported by the El Paso Times.

A fire started in a bus maintenance garage area at the Sun Metro Transit Operations Center, which is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away from El Paso International Airport, around 1 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) Tuesday. The explosion caused "severe damage" to the building, with the roof and walls collapsing, El Paso Fire Department Assistant Chief Robert Arvizu said. Fortunately, no firefighters were injured.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire, according to Arvizu. A large plume of black smoke was visible miles away, as seen in photos and videos shared on social media.

Road closures around the explosion site are expected to last for several hours, according to the El Paso Times.

El Paso International Airport operations were not affected, city officials confirmed. An investigation into the incident is under way.