“Very large” explosion reported near Texas hospital

GATESVILLE, Texas — Authorities are responding to reports of a large explosion near a hospital in Gatesville, Texas, local officials said. Gatesville police said the department was dealing with a major emergency at Coryell Memorial Healthcare System, CBS affiliate KWTV reports.

A dispatch official with the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office tells CBS News that a “very large” blast occurred in an area adjacent to the hospital where there had recently been construction. Gatesville is about 75 miles north of Austin.

The official said a massive response was underway involving first responders from the surrounding area. Two medical facilities, the Oaks at Coryell and the Meadows, are being evacuated.

“I was on Levita Road picking up my dogs when I heard this loud noise, and by the time I got up to Memorial Drive, there were all kinds of police and fire trucks headed that way,” said Gatesville attorney Tanya Place, who lives nearby. “There’s a lot of smoke.”