VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Police say a $2 million explosion early Wednesday in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, was deliberately set, local media reported Thursday.
"The explosion was an air-fuel explosion," said police spokesman Tim Fanning, referring to a small blast that disperses a flammable liquid into the air, creating a cloud that is then lit by a second charge, causing a larger explosion, The Globe and Mail reported.
Armed forces use such explosions in war zones to destroy enemy fortifications and neutralize mines, the newspaper said.
No one was injured in the 2:30 a.m. blast that occurred in a taco restaurant and destroyed an adjacent Starbucks coffee shop. Officials said the taco shop didn't use natural gas.
The Vancouver Sun said two witnesses told police they saw a man in dark clothing fleeing the scene shortly after the explosion, although police said it was possible it was a bystander fleeing in fright.
Security videos from other businesses in the are were being studied by police, the Sun said.
