‘Bottle bombs’ of acid, metal set off in movie theater
Los Angeles County crews begin the massive cleanup of thousands of dead fish at Marina Del Rey, Calif. Marine biologists are investigating the cause of the die-off along the Pacific coast that caused a feeding frenzy by seals, pelicans and gulls.
Past studies have tied riding in automobiles to the illness, although researchers didn’t know how it happened. An investigation into fluid dispersed by school buses in Arizona seems to have provided the answer. Three-quarters of the buses tested in one district in Arizona were positive for the bacteria, the study found.
“Washer fluid has the traits of a potentially dangerous source of Legionella-exposure needs,” Otto Schwake, a microbiology doctoral student at Arizona State University in Tempe and the study’s lead author, said.
Two homemade “bottle bombs” filled with acid and metal shards exploded in a movie theater over the weekend, sending more than 2,000 frightened audience members scrambling for the exits, authorities said yesterday.
Witnesses told the Fairfax County Police Department that the explosion sounded like gunshots about 12:15 a.m. Sunday during a midnight showing of the movie Godzilla.
Police said the blast was heard throughout the 16-screen AMC Theater at Tysons Corner Center in a suburb of Washington, causing panic and confusion. More than 2,000 people were evacuated, but no one was injured.