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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A bottle bomb exploded at a Lexington school, chasing band members inside and bringing police to the scene.
Fayette County Public Schools canceled all student activities at Lafayette High School after the detonation Wednesday. District spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall told the Lexington Herald-Leader (http://bit.ly/1peEaSZ ) two other bombs were also found on campus and deactivated.
Deffendall says a search turned up no bombs at other schools and no one was injured by the explosion.
The bombs were made out of soda bottles and the explosion happened at about 8:30 a.m. as the school's marching band color guard practiced on a parking lot behind the school.
Superintendent Tom Shelton says there was no warning phone call or social media message received by the school. Shelton said school officials will check surveillance camera footage in hopes of identifying those who placed the bottles.
Pop bottle bombs do not contain conventional explosives, and they aren't sophisticated. They are generally made by placing a chemical product in a plastic bottle with some water. A buildup of pressure can cause the bottle to explode.
"It's unfortunate that someone could find something like this on the Internet," Shelton said. "They probably think they are playing a prank, but they are actually creating a very serious situation where someone could be seriously injured. Our best advice is that if you see anything suspicious, report it but don't touch it."
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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com
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