A homemade explosive device went off before dawn on Wednesday, inflicting light damage to the exterior of the Jackson County prosecutor's office in Medford, Oregon, in an attempt to blow up the building, according to a police spokesman, the Associated Press reported.
A propane gas tank was used to make a homemade bomb which exploded into flames, shattering the windows of the prosecutor's office around 4:30 a.m., Reuters reported. Lieutenant Mike Budreau said details on the bomb and its creator are still sparse, but no one was hurt and the damage was minor.
When authorities arrived, the seven-gallon propane tank was still on fire causing a tall flame.
"We believe the suspect tried to detonate the propane tank with an improvised explosive device (that) damaged the propane tank," Budreau said, according to Reuters.
According to Budreau, no arrests have been made and the motive behind the firebombing was unknown, but if the bomb had exploded correctly, it could have brought down the entire building, Reuters reported.
"We're not sure if this is targeted towards a prosecution that was going to happen or has happened or whether it's something else," Budreau told Reuters.
A man wearing dark clothing was spotted a couple blocks away from the explosion, and when approached by an officer fled in the opposite direction, according to a report by the Medford Mail Tribune.
Authorities are searching for a man fitting his description, but Budreau said they're "not sure if that is going to be related to this case," according to the AP.
"I think that it's safe to assume that had this bomb went off as it was intended to, it would have most likely destroyed most of the building, and we believe that was the intent of the suspect," Budreau told the Tribune.
Police Chief Tim George said Wednesday the explosions could be an act of domestic terrorism, but the FBI said the investigation is still on-going, the AP reported. Oregon state police and federal agents were assisting in the investigation.
