Anaheim police investigate pipe bomb explosion three miles from Disneyland in California

A pipe bomb detonated in an alleyway in Anaheim, California on 27 March, causing damage to the walls of a shuttered business, authorities said. Anaheim Police Sergeant Daron Wyatt said police received a call about an exploded transformer right before 2pm PDT/10pm GMT in the 600 block of North Anaheim Boulevard, near East Wilhelmina Street.

However, when police investigated, they discovered a small explosive device, or pipe bomb, located in an alley outside the business, Wyatt told reporters. The bomb's explosion caused moderate damage to the exterior walls of the empty building, The Los Angeles Times reported. Wyatt added that an end-cap of the device flew 45ft and punctured a hole in a nearby wooden fence.

Police said no injuries were reported. According to the Times, homes and businesses in the area were briefly evacuation until the Orange County Sheriff's Department's bomb squad determined the area was safe.

The Orange County Register reported that residents were allowed to return to their homes by 3.45pm local time. Residents near the explosion told reporters they felt their residences shaking during the explosion.

"It was like around 1.30 and I was assisting some customers that were with me. We were talking about a vehicle when we hear the explosion happen in the alleyway," Anna Trujillo, who works at a nearby car dealership, told CBS Los Angeles. "It was too loud to be a shot so we were like, 'It has to be a bomb.' And then we see all the white smoke coming out," she continued. "I was scared."

According to CBS News, two other pipe bombs exploded in Anaheim in November of December of 2015. The police sergeant said it remains unclear if the latest incident is related to the previous two blasts but added that there was an arrest in the last two incidents. The latest incident occurred about three miles north of the Disneyland theme park, USA Today noted.