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SALT LAKE COUNTY -- Salt Lake County firefighters are investigating an explosion that damaged a bowling alley Wednesday night. They're calling it a chemical bomb. It exploded at the entrance of Olympus Hills Bowl at 4015 S. Wasatch Blvd. around 10 p.m.
An employee suffered minor injuries. Unified Fire Capt. Clint Smith said the employee had some hearing problems and she "felt some of the small fragments hit her lower leg."
Fire investigators say the device was obviously homemade. They describe it as being created with household chemicals--including drain cleaner--placed in a plastic two-liter bottle. The container expands as the reaction goes on, until it explodes.
Smith said, "Devices of this nature don't have the potential to create structural damage; however, they do pose a hazard to human life."
Salt Lake County sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson said, "It appears they were surprised by the explosion. They weren't able to identify any suspects, anyone who may have been involved in placing the item there. All indications are someone just went into the bowling alley. It's unclear why they would target the bowling alley."
At this point, police are not sure if the bowling alley was, in fact, a target or whether someone just watched the explosion.
There are no suspects, and officials are still investigating.
This obviously could have been much worse, but police and fire officials are still taking it seriously and are interested in information on the case.
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Story compiled with contributions from Richard Piatt and Cleon Wall .
