Belconnen mall explosion
Two men have been treated for burns and fragment injuries following an explosion in the food court of the Westfield Belconnen Mall.
Witnesses report the blast occurred at about 1pm near Donut King, breaking glass and producing a cloud of smoke.ACT Policing have cordoned off the area following the incident, which Sergeant Steve Booth said was caused by cap gun ammunition.
Sergeant Booth said a 30-year-old man was in the food court when the bag of cap gun ammunition he was carrying was detonated.
Sergeant Booth said ACT Policing could not confirm the reason for the detonation, but would be continuing their investigations to ensure it was not "untoward or malicious".
"It's certainly unusual," he said.
"We will be conducting a full investigation into the matter to determine exactly why this has happened and if there is any reasonable cause for it."
One witness, Simon, said the explosion happened within two metres of the Donut King store.
"I just wanted to get my kids out of there,'' Simon said.
"We were sitting down about five metres away when the explosion happened - it sounded like a chandelier dropping.
"It wasn't a huge bang but afterward there was a man lying down with blood on his stomach and chest.
"I'm not sure what it was. If it had been a larger explosion, it would have injured a lot of people."
ACT Emergency Services confirmed that one man has been treated by paramedics for burns and fragment injuries before being transported to Calvary Hospital in a stable condition.
A second man has been treated for fragment injuries to his face.
Four more patients are being assessed by intensive care paramedics.
Some witnesses speculated the incident was the result of a gas bottle detonating, while others blamed a "homemade confetti bomb".
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