A pilot ejected moments before an F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday into a warehouse just outside March Air Reserve Base in California, military officials said. The pilot was not hurt and there were no immediate reports of injuries on the ground, said Maj. Perry Covington, the base's director of public affairs. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Interstate 215, which runs between the base and the warehouse, was closed in both directions, backing up rush-hour traffic for miles.
Television news showed a large hole in the roof and sprinklers on inside the building about 65 miles east of Los Angeles.
Cellphone photos and video from inside showed what appeared to be the tail of the plane buried in twisted metal and piles of cardboard boxes.
Daniel Gallegos, a warehouse worker, said he's used to hearing the sound of planes coming and going but the noise just before the crash was deafening.