“Bomb” Scare

According to an email I just received from the Georgia Tech administration, there was a “bomb” scare here today.

The Georgia Tech Police and the Atlanta Police Department disposed of three explosive devices found on the Georgia Tech campus this morning.

Around 8:45AM a facilities worker found the devices between the Glenn and Cloudman residence halls on the southeast side of campus. One of the devices exploded when it was discovered, and the Facilities worker was taken to Health Services complaining of ringing in his ears.

Campus Police were immediately notified, and the two residence halls were evacuated as a safety precaution.

The Atlanta Police and Fire Departments were called in to assess and contain the situation.

The Atlanta Police Department bomb squad detonated the devices shortly before noon and students were allowed to re-enter the residence halls.

Note that the explosion resulted only in “ringing in the ears of the custodian” who found it. So it wasn’t exactly much of a bomb.

Here is the Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.

Georgia Tech evacuated two dormitories Monday morning after a water bottle filled with an unidentified liquid exploded in a campus courtyard, slightly injuring a custodial worker.

The bottle was one of three explosive devices found in a plastic garbage bag on campus.

Tech spokeswoman Amelia Gambino said a facilities maintenance worker picked up one of the bottles while collecting trash before 9 a.m.

“There was a loud explosion, like a cherry bomb going off,” Gambino said.

The maintenance worker was taken to a local clinic for evaluation after complaining of ringing in his ears. An Atlanta Police bomb squad detonated the two other devices.

Approximately 100 students were evacuated, Gambino said.

The school email also had this note:

In the news, you will hear the phrase “terroristic act,” and in keeping with Georgia Code, any explosive device left in a public area fits this definition. Although the Atlanta Police Department has said they will investigate the bombing as if it were a terrorist act, it does not mean that it was in fact a terrorist act.

I was at home today with Michelle, so can’t offer any information from the campus. Also, this part of campus is quite far from where I usually go. However, it looks to me more like a prank than anything else.