(Reuters) - The California Highway Patrol was responding on Friday to an incident at a veterans’ home in Napa Valley after local media said there were reports of shots fired and a possible hostage situation.
The California Highway Patrol said in a tweet that one of its SWAT teams was en route to the Yountville Veterans Home and that other officers and aerial resources were on the scene.
“The CHP is aware of the incident at the Yountville Veterans Home and has officers and aerial resources on scene working with Napa County Sheriff’s deputies and others to bring the situation to a safe conclusion,” CHP said on Twitter.
NBC Bay Area quoted a local fire captain as saying that a gunman had taken hostages inside the home. CHP and Napa County fire officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The California Department of Veterans Affairs said it was following reports of gunfire at the home, and that the safety of its residents, workers and the community were its top priority.
“We have activated our emergency response protocol and are cooperating with law enforcement,” the department said in a Facebook post. “Further official information will be provided by law enforcement when it is confirmed.”
The Yountville Veterans Home is the largest such facility in the United States and is home to about 1,000 veterans, according to the home’s website.
Yountville is about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco.
Reporting by Daniel Wallis in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler