The Latest: Police don't say if blast is related to others
A bomb detecting unit walks along a street near the scene of an explosion, Sunday, March 18, 2018, in Austin, Texas. (Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Latest on another explosion in Austin, Texas (all times local):
10:58 p.m.
Police Chief Brian Manley isn't confirming the cause of the latest explosion in Austin, Texas, or if it's related to three previous blasts elsewhere in the city.
But he is repeating calls for residents not to handle unexpected packages.
Speaking briefly to reporters late Sunday night, Manley also urged residents of the southwest Austin neighborhood where the latest explosion occurred to stay in their homes. Two people were injured.
The chief says investigators will keep the surrounding area closed at least until daybreak as they collect evidence.
He says authorities also have received a separate report of a suspicious backpack in the area and are still working to "clear" that.
The area around the explosion site has been blocked off and authorities are interviewing neighbors and searching for possible witnesses. It is far from areas of the city where three package bombs exploded earlier this month.
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9:58 p.m.
Another explosion has been reported in Austin, Texas, and emergency officials were responding to early reports of two men injured.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Management Services tweeted Sunday night that an explosion in southwest Austin had injured two men in their 20s. There were preliminary reports of two possible explosions, but officials later tweeted that only one had been confirmed so far.
There was no immediate word on what caused the explosion. Police urged people living nearby to stay in their homes.
The new blast was far from eastern parts of the city where three package bombs exploded earlier this month — killing two people and injuring two others. Authorities have offered rewards of $115,000 for information leading to an arrest in the package bomb cases.
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3:30 p.m.
Austin police say the reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for three explosions that have killed two people and injured two others has risen by $50,000 to now total $115,000.
Interim Police Chief Bryan Manley announced the reward boost Sunday as authorities pleaded for help.
Officials believe the bombings this month are related but Manley says investigators don't have a motive or "what the ideology is behind this."
He says more than 500 officers, including federal agents, have conducted 236 interviews in following up 435 leads.
A package bomb exploded at an east Austin home on March 2, killing a 39-year-old man. Two package bombs in other parts of the city exploded last Monday, killing a 17-year-old, wounding his mother and injuring a 75-year-old woman.
