Two people were hurt on Wednesday in an explosion at an Amgen laboratory in the San Francisco Bay Area, the biotechnology company and a South San Francisco Fire Department official said.

Amgen described the injuries suffered at its lab in the city of South San Francisco as minor. The two injured people were taken to a local hospital for treatment, the fire department spokeswoman said.

"We can confirm an incident at our South San Francisco site this afternoon," Amgen said in a written statement. "We're working with the South San Francisco Fire Department to address the situation with the safety of our employees being our first priority.

"There were two minor injuries and those individuals are receiving medical attention," the company said. "An investigation has begun to determine the cause of the incident."

Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, in southern California, is the world's largest maker of biotechnology drugs.