Toilet smoker causes blast

Police investigate the scene of the explosion. Photo / Alan Gibson.

A suspected bomb blast in a Tauranga toilet yesterday turned out to be the work of a careless smoker.

Police initially said a homemade, basic incendiary device was responsible for blowing the back door off a toilet block in the main street.

However, they later said someone had been smoking in a cubicle where flammable cleaning supplies were kept.

The chemicals are thought to have ignited, sending fragments of the door flying 10m into a carpark at the rear of travel agency Travelcom in Devonport Rd.

Travelcom's Jolene Purdy, who was talking to customers when the blast happened, said it was very frightening.

"I heard an almighty bang and all the girls started shouting, 'We have to go, we have to go.' I couldn't talk, it was such a loud blast."

The site of the explosion was a popular smoking spot for occupants of the two-storey building, which was evacuated for about 40 minutes.