Disneyland’s Toontown explosion shocks visitors

Disneyland visitors expressed shock Tuesday night that an explosive device was left at the popular family destination that bills itself as “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

The apparent dry ice “bomb” exploded about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in a trash can at Toontown, forcing officials to evacuate people from the area, police said. No injuries were reported, and the area was reopened about two hours later.

“You wouldn’t expect situations like that coming to a place like this. That is crazy, that’s wild,” said West Covina resident Jonathan Rosario, who was at the park with a toddler as music to the “It’s a Small World” echoed in the background. “It reminds us we all need to do our part to be safe.”

Shortly before Toontown closed for fireworks at 8:30 p.m., Cristina Garcia and her family were still shopping for Minnie shoes for her daughter, Brianna.

“I wish there were a way to control stuff like that,” Garcia said of the explosion. “When you have kids you want it to always be safe.”

Her husband, Hugo Garcia, asked why he didn’t see an increase in police protection after the incident.

“It might be good to have more security in times like this,” said Garcia, who was visiting with his family from Napa Valley. “We want Disneyland to keep its good reputation.”

Disneyland said in a statement that “a small bang was heard in a trash can ... In an abundance of caution, we evacuated Toontown to allow local authorities the opportunity to investigate.”

The dry ice appeared to have been placed in a plastic bottle that was left in a trash can. The explosion was confined to the can, according to the Anaheim Police Department.

The device appeared similar to other devices that have exploded in Anaheim neighborhoods in recent months, Sgt. Bob Dunn said.

“Unfortunately,” Dunn told The Times, “it’s an all too-common occurrence.”

He said police were investigating whether there was any connection between those explosions and the blast at Toontown.

Investigators Tuesday night had not established a motive or determined why Toontown was targeted.

Dunn said investigators planned to review video surveillance footage and examining Internet postings and social media to find out who was responsible for placing the device in the trash can.

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Twitter: @LAJourno

robert.lopez@latimes.com