Dunrobin explosion: Northern Calif. version

Ahh fireworks. Don't you just love them especially when in the hands of people who dont know of Darwin's Law. This story reminds us very much of the Dunrobin street explosion in March 2006. The differences are that the explosion was smaller in Sunnyvale and caused less damage to surrounding structures (due to less explosive material) and the suspect in Sunnyville was injured more severely than in the Lakewood explosion.

Police say fireworks caused fire in Sunnyvale's downtown

By Cody Kraatz
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10907024?nclick_check=1
Sunnyvale Sun
Article Launched: 11/05/2008

Sunnyvale's Department of Public Safety is investigating alleged criminal possession of explosives and/or fireworks after an explosion burned two men in a downtown Sunnvyale apartment, said DPS Capt. Doug Moretto.

Fire crews responded to the explosion in a lower-level apartment at 415 S. Sunnyvale Ave. on Oct. 26 at 7:25 a.m. The fire was quickly contained and extinguished.

Two men who were in the apartment were burned. Both were treated at the scene and taken to Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

David Weist, 48, is suspected of possessing and tampering with an illegal explosive, probably a large firework. Moretto said last week that he had not been arrested.

Weist's roommate, Dan Downen, had just finished wiping and hosing burns, blood and bits of finger off the walls last Thursday.

He said that Weist, whom he had not seen since the incident, had been in an induced coma and the previous day had emerged from a surgery that left him with only a pinky finger on one hand. The other man, who did not live there, had been treated for burns on his back, said Downen, who was home at the time of the explosion.

"I swear to God, it looked like my wall swelled like 2 feet. I went over there an opened the door, and there was nothing but smoke. [Weist's clothing] was on fire. I grabbed him, threw him down, ripped off the flames and patted him out," he said, adding that Weist had a history of "playing with fireworks." Moretto said.
DPS investigators, along with Santa Clara County bomb and fire investigators and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, were trying to determine what kind of explosive device Weist had.


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