LAKE WALES, Fla. — Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) went off at Eagle Ridge Mall on Sunday night.
Lake Wales fire crews responded to an alarm call at 451 Eagle Ridge Drive around 5:30 p.m. While en route, the call was changed to a structure fire.
When fire crews arrived at the location, they saw smoke coming from a corridor located next to the mall entrance of JC Penney.
The fire department located two pipe bomb type devices that ignited in the corridor of the building. They also located a backpack in the same corridor with other possible improvised explosive devices in it.
No one was injured as a result of the explosion, but the ceiling and corridor wall did sustain damage.
At 5:30 p.m. the Lake Wales Police Department responded to begin a criminal investigation.
The mall was evacuated. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the State Fire Marshall, and the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad all responded to assist in the investigation.
