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https://ktla.com/2019/05/17/pilot-ej...emains-closed/

Pilot Ejects Before F-16 Crash Near March Air Reserve Base; 215 Freeway Remains Closed

Posted 5:32 AM, May 17, 2019, by CNN Wire and Anthony Kurzweil, Updated at 05:34AM, May 17, 2019

F-16 Crashes Near March Air Reserve Base

The 215 Freeway remained closed in both directions Friday morning after an F-16 fighter jet crashed into a warehouse just off March Air Reserve Base in Perris the day before.

The pilot ejected before impact just off the end of the runway, Maj. Perry Covington said. The pilot was taken to a hospital to be checked out but has no major injuries, said base spokesman Reggie Varner.

Varner said the F-16 had a hydraulic failure which led to the crash Thursday. Authorities were investigating whether anyone on the ground was hurt.

The base's fire department responded to the crash along with the Riverside police and Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

California Highway Patrol officials shut down both directions of the 215 Freeway between Harley Knox Boulevard and Cactus Avenue as first responders continued working at the scene.

Caltrans tweeted that the closure would be "long term" and asked drivers to avoid the area.

Mike Johnson, the CEO of the company located in the warehouse, confirmed all employees at the warehouse are safe.

"Thank God everyone is safe and OK," Johnson said in a statement to CNN. "We'll have to see what this means for the company, but right now our concern is with our employees and their families."

The warehouse is owned by See Water, Inc. The company offers products and solutions to HVAC, commercial, residential, utility and wastewater industries.