Man injured, roads closed after package explosion

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A man was injured in an explosion when he opened a package containing medication for an inhaler in his downtown apartment Tuesday morning, police said.

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the city's bomb squad were trying to determine if it was an explosive device or caused by a chemical reaction from the medicine.

The 62-year-old, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital with injuries to his hands and chest. and he was in stable condition.

"As far as I know, there were no threats prior to this and no threats since," Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "There is a possibility this was just an accidental explosion. We're not certain at this point whether it was intentional or accidental."

The package was delivered on Monday and the man opened it in his kitchen of the apartment he shares with a roommate around 4 a.m. Tuesday, Small said.

The damage from the blast was confined to the kitchen and included broken glass, Small said.

Ten residents were evacuated from nearby apartments, but were allowed to return after the bomb squad cleared other packages.