Disneyland Explosion Leads to Park Evacuation: 'Big Boom' Startles Visitors (VIDEO)
'It Sounded Louder Than a Gunshot,' Says Eyewitness
A Disneyland explosion in the section of Mickey's Toontown startled visitors Tuesday, causing the Anaheim, Calif. park to be evacuated for safety purposes. Authorities and the bomb squad were called, and they determined the small blast was caused by dry ice contained in a plastic bottle and thrown away.
The Disneyland explosion occurred around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Anaheim police representative Bob Dunn told CBS. Although Disney officials called the incident "a small bang" on their Twitter account, visitors were alarmed by the noise.
"It sounded louder than a gunshot," Allen Wolf, who was only 20 feet away from the garbage can that exploded, told the Associated Press. "I looked up. Everyone stopped and looked up."
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"Just a big boom and the trash can exploding … the lid coming up … people were at a standstill," Vanessa Vasquez, who was at the park with her family, told KCBS. "It was kind of a little scary when I saw the whole area (look like a) ghost town."
Security for the park took no chances and cleared out visitors from the surrounding area, although other parkgoers may not have known about the explosion because the park's music never stopped playing.
"In an abundance of caution, the area was evacuated," Disney officials confirmed, saying they were working with local police and the Orange County bomb squad.
Two hours after visitors were removed from Toontown, they were allowed back in. Authorities found that the dry ice in a bottle caused the explosion, and on Wednesday, they revealed that surveillance videos and social media sites were being checked for clues.
There have been other small blasts around Anaheim recently, and Sgt. Dunn revealed that police suspect there could be a connection between the incidents.
"Unfortunately, it's an all-too-common occurrence," he told The Los Angeles Times.
No injuries or damages were reported.
