Homemade Bomb Hurts Boy on School Grounds

A 5-year-old boy suffered minor burns Tuesday when a homemade acid bomb exploded on a school playground, the Sheriff’s Department said.

The explosive, made up of chemicals packed into a plastic water bottle, apparently was left by someone the previous night on the Castille Elementary School grounds, Sheriff’s Lt. Tom Garner said.

The boy was among several children at the school participating in a YMCA day-care center. Officials said it was unclear whether the bomb’s target was the school or the program.

Three similar bottle bombs were found at the scene and deactivated by the bomb squad; remains of two others that apparently went off the previous night were also found.

Art Wannlund, president of the YMCA of Orange County, said 26 children are participating in the day-care center while the school is on spring break.

Three children were kicking a plastic water bottle around about 10:25 a.m. when one of the boys picked it up and opened it, he said.

“It exploded and sprayed him with a liquid,” Wannlund said. “The staff immediately washed his face and eyes and called 911.”

Wannlund said Sheriff’s Department officials told him they would soon send out information on what to look for to prevent similar accidents in the future.

“Apparently they are finding a number of them,” he said of the devices. Garner said they are typically filled with chlorine and pool acid.

Anyone with information about the people who placed the bottle bombs on the playground was asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (714) 834-6490.