Airport Evacuated Because of Water Balloon

Jan. 18, 2005

Authorities evacuated the Walker Field Airport terminal after finding a suspicious item in a man's suitcase—a water balloon.

About two dozen people were evacuated Sunday evening and others weren't allowed to get off an incoming airplane after the Transportation Safety Authority found what the man called a "Water Wienie."

TSA workers reported a plastic container containing a liquid that was secured with a plug and had what looked like wires sticking out of the end, said Rob Ferguson, battalion chief with the Grand Junction Fire Department.

The man told them it was a water balloon. The ''wires'' actually were spigots to release water.

The airport was reopened about 45 minutes after the item was found, Ferguson said. The man with the water balloon, whose name wasn't released, missed his initial flight but wasn't charged with a crime.

Source: AP

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