LAKE WALES – Police officers in Lake Wales continued their search Monday for two men who may have ignited two flares in a corridor at Eagle Ridge Mall shortly before the mall closed Sunday evening.
The explosion was reported about 5:20 p.m., when smoke was seen coming from the mall, according to police reports.
The flares had ignited in a corridor that led to a parking lot, said Police Chief Christopher Valesquez.
“It wasn’t a secured hallway,” he said. “We’ve estimated there were about 100 people in the area, including employees. Since the mall was about to close, we don’t believe there were a large amount of customers there.”
The Lake Wales Fire Department had received an alarm call, and firefighters were told while they were in route that there was a possible fire with smoke, he said.
When firefighters arrived, Valesquez said, they found the flare materials on the ground.
“When we got to it,” he said, “everything was on the floor, including a backpack.”
No one was hurt during the explosion, and property damage was minimal, Valesquez said. Damage to a nearby ceiling appears to have been caused by the suspects and not the explosion, he said.
“There was damage to the ceiling tile and some of the framing that holds the ceiling tile up,” he said. “I don’t want to comment any more than that.”
Initially, authorities were concerned the blast may have been caused by incendiary devices, according to police reports, and that a nearby abandoned backpack may have contained additional explosives. Further investigation revealed the backpack was free of explosives. Bomb technicians, after examining the materials, indicated the devices were not constructed to detonate or explode.
No other combustible materials were discovered during an inspection in and around Eagle Ridge Mall, on U.S. 27 at Chalet Suzanne Road, police reported.
Authorities said the flares were disguised inside PVC pipe and wrapped in electrical tape.
The suspects left nothing at the scene to indicate why the flares were detonated, police reported. Investigators are continuing to review surveillance video at the mall to learn more about the suspects’ movements.
The first suspect is described as a heavy-set, middle-aged white male wearing a gray shirt and a gray hat. His companion is said to be 20 to 40 years old, wearing a dark hat and a jacket, and light-colored shirt.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lake Wales Police Department at 863-678-4223 or Heartland Crime Stoppers at 800-226-8477.
“We need the public to report anything they may have seen, anything they may have recorded with their phones, anything they might know that would help out with this investigation,” Valesquez said Monday.
Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com or 863-533-9070. Follow her on Twitter @southpolkscene.