Authorities believe that the deadly explosion that took place at a California day spa and killed the owner was not an accident
On Tuesday, an explosion blew out the walls and windows of a California day spa, resulting in severe damage of the business and the death of the owner. The spa was located on the first floor of a 2-story medical office in Aliso Viejo, Los Angeles.
During the investigation, authorities came to the conclusion that the materials thought to be inolved in the explosion were not actually items used at the spa. Furthermore, they are treating the explosion as a crime and are still working hard to confirm whether the blast was on purpose or not. So far, no suspects have been arrested.
In the preliminary stages of the investigation, law enforcement sources believed that the explosion may have been detonated on purpose.
“At this point, we do not believe this was an accident. We’ve ruled out a gas main explosion and other potential theories,” said Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. “At this point, our working theory is that this explosion was caused by a device.”
With this theory in mind, authorities are still trying to figure out how the device responsible for the explosion arrived at the location. At the same time, there is no clue that there could be a second device involved.
Two women have been hurt in the blast, both believed to be patrons of the spa. They are currently undergoing surgery and are thought to be out of the danger. A third women suffered from smoke inhalation and received helped on the spot.
Witnesses said that they heard a loud boom and believed that there was an earthquake, as the ground shook hard.
“And the ground shook,” Dong Shin said. “While the ground was shaking … my body jolted and my head hit the wall.”
As he rushed downstairs from the nearby building to see what was going on, he saw 2 holes in the wall of the medical facility, as well as “fire, smoke, insulation popping out of the walls, a lot of scared people running around, a lot of commotion.”
According to Orange County Sheriff’s Department Commander Dave Sawyer, the blast caused severe damage to the buildings in the area.
“Anytime you see an explosion of this magnitude, it would definitely be suspicious to us, and that’s why we rolled out all the resources to get to the bottom of it,” Sawyer said.
However, nothing indicates an act of terrorism.
Source: cnn.com
