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Exploding tennis balls found by children in northern Utah

Clinton, Utah • Authorities in northern Utah say children discovered two explosive tennis balls in a home’s front yard.

The Standard-Examiner reports one of the balls exploded when it rolled off the porch of the children’s home but no one was injured.

The Clinton Fire Department said the tennis balls had been filled with hundreds of match heads and a striking device and turned into essentially homemade bombs. The balls had been wrapped in electrical tape.

Fire officials said the explosion was small but loud and could have been deadly if it had gone off in someone’s hand.

A bomb squad was sent to investigate the scene and safely removed the tennis balls. No other similar devices were found in the area.

It’s unclear who made the devices and why they were left in a front yard.

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