S.C. 'bomb' report is all wet

The 55-gallon drum sitting in a parking lot at the BMW plant in Greer, S.C., was suspicious.

Spartanburg County sheriff's deputies responding Friday evening said it smelled like a bomb and looked like a bomb — wires were sticking out.

The bomb squad, hazmat team, several fire departments and TV crews raced to the scene shortly after 6:30 p.m.

The plant was locked down.

A sheriff's spokesman announced that the drum, next to a silver Ford Crown Victoria, was a "chloride granulated bomb (chlorine gas)."

A safety perimeter was set up.

While bomb technicians investigated, the drum owner arrived with the explosive revelation about his device:

It was a water-purification system.

Sheriff Chuck Wright said he the man forgot to alert plant security that he was leaving it.

Thus began the Memorial Day weekend in Spartanburg County.