Much as I appreciate the vote of confidence, I gotta say - It's my home town - It really was just a bunch of dumb hicks having a Barney Fife moment..
-Stoic Joker
Well, better for them to have their Barney Fife moment than some local pranksters actually make one of those things out of a plastic pop bottle, some Draino, water, a bit of candle wax and some aluminum, and for it to explode with someone a bit too close to it, and they end up getting sprayed with the Draino.
Because of prankster teens building these things and leaving them places for unsuspecting people to find, in some areas you actually have to show ID to prove you are over 18, to buy drain cleaner.