Pipe Bomb Explodes In Barn, Injuring Two Men Making It

A pipe bomb exploded in a suburban Chicago barn on Saturday, badly injuring the two young men working on creating the explosive.

Kristopher Carlson, 20, of Ingleside and Frank Dumelle, 19, of Round Lake, were building the bomb with PVC piping and gunpowder on the evening of January 29. At around 6:25 p.m., residents as far as a half-mile away called the police department and said they'd heard an explosion. Emergency crews responded and rushed the two men to the hospital.

Lake County Sheriff's police Sgt. Timothy Jonites told the Chicago Sun-Times that Carlson "took the brunt in the face and chest. He has major facial and chest injuries. He was in pretty bad shape. He had a lot of shrapnel to the face."

As of Sunday night, Carlson remained in critical condition at the Rockford Memorial Hospital burn unit, and Dumelle was listed in serious condition.

A spokesman from the sheriff's department reassured the public about the men's activities, as the Northwest Herald reports:

"We don't think that the men were with any type of terrorist network or radical group. They were just some kids experimenting," said a spokesman from the sheriff's department.

Sgt. Jonites said he anticipates there will be charges against Carlson and Dumelle soon, depending on how quickly they recover from the blast. He described making pipe bombs as "highly illegal," according to the Sun-Times.