Joint Base Lewis-McChord employee injured in bear attack on base

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AP) — A training area at Joint Base Lewis-McChord was closed after an employee encountered a bear and was taken to the hospital.

Base officials closed Engineer Bluff on the Lewis Main training area Thursday afternoon. They said a civilian employee was on the trails of the bluff early in the afternoon when he was attacked by a bear. He was taken to the Madigan Army Medical Center where he's receiving medical care for non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials closed all gates into Engineer Bluff for the next week.



Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Washington State Department of Natural Resources will attempt to trap the bear and remove it from the area.