5 Injured by Fumes From Exploding Bottle

Five people were slightly injured Sunday when a soft drink bottle containing acidic chemicals exploded inside the Topanga Plaza shopping center in Canoga Park, authorities said.

A child suffering from nausea was taken to a hospital after the explosion at about 1:20 p.m., assistant Los Angeles Fire Chief Jim Mullen said. Four other people were examined at the scene for nausea and shortness of breath, he said.

Authorities cordoned off the area where the explosion occurred, near the Broadway department store at the south end of the mall at 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd. About 300 people in a dining area below the explosion site were briefly evacuated, Mullen said.

Witnesses said two young men appeared to have placed the bottle atop the wall of a stairwell leading to the dining area seconds before the container exploded. The youths fled and were not caught, police said.

It was not known what chemicals were in the bottle, but an employee of a nearby store said the vapors smelled like chlorine. Mullen said a fire department hazardous materials team determined that the substance was acidic.

Mullen said nothing was damaged.

“It was just a whole lot of inconvenience for a lot of people,” Los Angeles Police Sgt. John Weaver said.