Bottle explosions lead to evacuation | Seattle Times Newspaper

Fire investigators in Spokane say they've identified a male student responsible for two plastic pop bottle explosions that prompted the evacuation of Ferris High School.

There was one minor injury Wednesday to a custodian cleaning up after one explosion.

KREM-TV reports that the teen confessed his role and said he acted alone.

Police described the contents of the bottles as common household chemicals.

Spokane School District spokeswoman Terran Roloff said this is finals week at the school on Spokane's affluent South Hill area.

ThIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Two plastic pop bottles filled with unknown chemicals exploded inside Spokane's Ferris High School on Wednesday morning, prompting officials to evacuate the school. There was one minor injury.

The first bottle blew up around 8 a.m. in a hallway, school officials said. About three hours later, a second device exploded in the school commons as emergency crews examined the liquid in the first bottle.

The school began evacuations after the second explosion.

The contents of the 2-liter bottles were not immediately known, but police described the contents as common household chemicals.

Spokane School District spokeswoman Terran Roloff said this is finals week at the school on Spokane's affluent South Hill area.

"This is a very common strategy to get out of school," Roloff told KREM-TV.

She said the first explosion was considered a minor nuisance so the school was not immediately evacuated.

KREM also reported that a custodian suffered skin irritation while cleaning up after the first explosion.

Members of the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane Fire Department responded to the scene. They searched the school to look for other devices.

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Information from: KREM-TV, http://www.krem.com/

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press