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Suspicious device explodes behind Dorchester church

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 10, 2009 05:16 PM

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A two-liter soda bottle likely filled with dry ice exploded behind a Dorchester church this afternoon, abruptly ending a school cookout and shutting down nearby streets as emergency crews ensured four similar bottles posed no threats.

At about 1:15 p.m., someone threw the five bottles into the yard behind Bethel Presbyterian Church, located at the intersection of Deckard Street and Humboldt Avenue, said District Fire Chief Jeff Whitman. One bottle burst with a loud bang, leading two police officers working at a field day for Boston Latin Academy juniors at an adjacent park to call for assistance.

"I guess a couple of kids just wanted to ruin this," said Frank Chen, the class treasurer.

Responders wearing green protective suits and protective masks fired a water cannon at the remaining bottles to neutralize them. Each bottle burst with a loud bang, which left nearby residents wondering what was going on.

"I heard a big boom. It was so loud," said Ernie Griffin, 52, who left his apartment when he heard the first blast.

Finally, at 4 p.m., police officers removed the yellow police tape and allowed vehicles and pedestrians to pass.

Alston Allen, a Fire Department hazardous materials specialist, said the bottles were likely filled with dry ice. On a cool day like today, they posed little threat. "On a hot day, they would have gone off," said Allen, who explained the heat would have increased the pressure inside the bottle. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide.

One man, a physics teacher who declined to give his name, saw a slight silver lining in the afternoon's mayhem.

"I was on the dunk tank," he said. "I got saved."