On Sunday evening, fire officials responded to reports of twin explosions at Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales, Florida, about 30 miles east of Tampa. ABC News reports that the explosions, which were found to be the result of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), caused a structural fire in a corridor near the mall’s JC Penney store. Fortunately, no one was injured by the explosions or the fire, but authorities were unable to quickly detain the person (or persons) responsible for the detonations.
The local Fox affiliate reports that the mall was fully evacuated following the explosions, and IEDs were discovered in the corridor in close proximity to a backpack, which contained more bad news, according to Lake Wales Police Department Deputy Chief Troy Schulze, who spoke with ABC News:
Schulze said as they canvassed the area where the smoke receded and flames were being put out, authorities found a “backpack or book bag that contained five or six other IEDs that were not detonated,” adding that those devices were “safely removed.”
“We had guys go in and do a cursory search to make sure there wasn’t anything else suspicious or out of place,” he said.
NBC News reports that the FBI is in the earliest stages of an investigation and has yet to declare whether this was a terror-related incident. Police are reportedly seeking “a stocky, middle-age white man wearing a gray shirt and a gray hat,” who was seen fleeing the scene. However, authorities have only declared the man to be a person of interest and haven’t closed the door to other potential suspects being on the loose.
We will, of course, bring you more information on this story as it arrives.
(Via ABC News, Fox 13 News & NBC News)