Police: Duster cans likely caused Plano car explosion

PLANO - Police think they now know what caused an explosion in a car parked outside a Plano bank.

The fire was reported around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. A white Hyndai Elantra parked near the Bank of America branch on the corner of Park Avenue and the Dallas North Tollway was heavily damaged.

Firefighters noticed something suspicious inside the car so they called police and the bomb squad. A robot was used to search the vehicle.

Plano police spokesman David Tilley said the bomb squad did not find an explosive device in the car. Instead, they found multiple cans of a duster product, commonly used for cleaning computers.

The canisters have an ingredient in them called difluorothane, which is highly flammable. Police are still trying to determine what sparked the explosion and whether the product was being misused.

Initially Tilley said a nitrous oxide inhaler, sometimes referred to as whippits, was found at the scene. Police no longer believe that is true.

Witness reported seeing a man running from the parking lot around the time of the explosion. He later showed up at a local hospital and was transferred to Parkland Hospital with non-life-threatening burns, Tilley said.

It’s not yet clear if the man will face charges.

No one else was hurt and there was no damage to the bank.