Disneyland Explosion: Employee Arrested for Dry Ice Blast, Held on $1 Million Bail

Outdoor vendor taken into custody for allegedly setting off explosive device that forced a two-hour evacuation of Toontown

By Alexis L. Loinaz May 30, 2013 12:42 PMTags
Disneyland CastleCourtesy of Instagram

Not quite the happiest place on earth.

A Disneyland employee was arrested in connection with a dry-ice blast Wednesday that forced officials to partially evacuate the park for two hours. No injuries, however, were reported.

Per The Los Angeles Times, 22-year-old Long Beach resident Christian Barnes, an outdoor vendor at the park, was taken into custody for allegedly setting off the explosive device inside a trash can.

He was booked on suspicion of possessing a destructive device and held on $1 million bail.

An Anaheim police spokesman told reporters Wednesday that Barnes, who would have had access to dry ice on the premises, was "cooperating with investigators" and said that the blast was an "isolated incident," allaying concerns that the explosion was related to other recent dry-ice blasts in the Anaheim area.

The explosion occurred at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Toontown section of the theme park, and there were no reports of injuries or property damage.

About two hours later, Disneyland announced on its Twitter feed that authorities had determined that the park was secure.

"Review is complete. Mickey's Toontown has been deemed 'all clear' by local authorities. Guests are welcomed to return," park officials said.