The State - News from July 1, 1988

Sheriff’s deputies searched a Richmond neighborhood to determine if there were any more giant firecrackers, or explosive devices, like the one that injured seven children, three critically. The boys, members of two refugee families from Laos, apparently found the device under a vacant house and exploded it on a second-story apartment balcony. One of the youngsters was knocked off the balcony. Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Deputy Surroy Poole said they were not certain where the device was found because of the language barrier. He said the crime lab was trying to determine what type of explosive device it was. “It was a fragmentary tracer device,” Poole said, “but we don’t know what kind. We know it wasn’t an M-80 (cherry bomb) because of the damage it caused.” Sanlien Saecheo, 10, and his brothers Solieu, 7 and Ouleim, 5, were hospitalized in critical condition with hand injuries.