A package that exploded Tuesday injuring a man in east Atlanta was likely fireworks, police said Wednesday.
“Further investigation in consultation with the ATF has led us to determine that the incident on Memorial Drive on Tuesday afternoon involved commercial-grade pyrotechnics that probably ignited due to static electricity,” Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos said.
Just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, a volunteer at the VEO Thrift Store at 1599 Memorial Drive suffered minor burns to his arms and legs after a parcel apparently blew up on him, authorities said.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for his injuries, police said.
The call to police resulted in a response from also the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the GBI, and led to the closing of a portion of Memorial Drive while explosives experts investigated.
Law enforcement officials said they were operating in an abundance of caution one day after a pair of improvised explosive devices killed three people and injured more than 170 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday.
“The package was in a parcel that the thrift store had for approximately two months with no issues until yesterday when it was handled by volunteers working in the store,” Campos said.
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