Fearing a bomb, police detonate hot dogs

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Philadelphia police detonated three packages of hot dogs, suspicious the food might have been a bomb.

Officials at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, had called police after the three packages were found on a light post near the first base gate.

Once the bomb squad arrived, a nearby street was blocked from traffic and pedestrians. Phillies employees with offices near the hot dogs were evacuated to the other side of the 43,647-seat stadium.

After the bomb squad detonated the frankfurters, the Phillies determined the meat had been accidentally left behind after a commercial shoot that involved the the team's mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, and his hot dog launcher, The (Philadelphia) Inquirer reported.

The Phillies said the hot dogs had been heavily wrapped in white packaging and duct tape so they could be fired from the Phanatic's hot dog launcher.

"We just did what we thought was appropriate," Senior Vice President for Administration and Operations Mike Stiles told the Inquirer.

"We looked at it, and in this day and age, if you have a question you call the police," Stiles said.

"The police came and they said, 'Yeah, this merits the bomb squad to take a look and take action,'" he said.

Stiles added, "It's important to let people know that although it was suspicious, it did not contain any explosive device and we didn't get any bomb-scare notes or threats."