Firefighter Nation

HYATTSVILLE, Md. - Investigators in Prince George's County are working the scene of a confirmed explosion in an underground parking garage.


The initial call came in on Tuesday afternoon for a auto fire and reported explosion on the third level of a below-grade parking garage. A county fire department spokesman says that fire crews found no fire but quickly identified suspicious debris and other material near the vehicle.

Fire crews quickly relocated to a safe distance as hazardous materials and bomb squad personnel were called to the scene. A adjacent apartment building was evacuated and a four-block area was quickly cordoned off.

Bomb squad and hazmat team members, along with bomb-sniffing dogs, searched all levels of the parking garage as well as six floors of an apartment building and nearby businesses for additional devices. None were found.

One local news station reports that the county's Public Safety Director received confirmation that an explosive device did go off. Local and federal authorities are searching the area looking for a person of interest seen on a surveillance video running from the area before the explosion.