Nature & Environment

Disneyland Explosion: Dry Ice Explosion Under Investigation (Video)

Kathleen Lees
First Posted: May 29, 2013 09:53 AM EDT

It's always unfortunate when we hear about troubles regarding 'The Happiest Place on Earth,' as they say. But according to various police reports, an alleged dry ice explosion at Disneyland in California is under investigation.

Police report that the dry ice appeared to have been placed in a plastic bottle that was left in a trash can in Toontown. The Anaheim Police Department said the explosion was confined to the can.

Sgt. Bob Dunn said, according to The New York Times, that other devices have exploded over the past few months in Anaheim neighborhoods.

"Unfortunately," Dunn said, according to The New York Times, "it's an all too-common occurrence."

He said police were investigating whether there was any connection between those explosions and the blast at Toontown.

The apparent dry ice "bomb" exploded about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, forcing officials to evacuate people from the area, police said. No injuries were reported, and the area was reopened about two hours later.

"You wouldn't expect situations like that coming to a place like this. That is crazy, that's wild," said West Covina resident Jonathan Rosario, who was at the park with a toddler as music to the, according to The Los Angeles Times. "It reminds us we all need to do our part to be safe."

Just after Toontown closed for fireworks at 8:30 p.m., The Los Angeles Times reports that Disneyland said in a statement that "a small bang was heard in a trash can. ... In an abundance of caution, we evacuated Toontown to allow local authorities the opportunity to investigate."

As of Tuesday night, a motive for the explosion has not been determined, according to investigators.

A dry ice bomb simply consists of dry ice that is sealed in a rigid container and sublimated to form carbon dioxide through a pressure wall. Though it is legal to make a dry ice bomb for educational or entertainment purposes, it can be very dangerous. And it can also be done accidentally.

If a dry ice bomb does explode, it can cause many problems, including permanent damage to hearing, injuries due to pieces of dry ice that may come onto the skin or other health problems that can result from the explosion.

Safety tips for preventing explosions include not sealing dry ice in a latching cooler, in a sealed fridge or freezer, a plastic bottle or anything.

Want to see a dry ice explosion? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.

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