As a perverse joke, Foster used a can of Pepsi filled with gunpowder and fitted with a 25-foot firework fuse to destroy the historic building. While the other boys arranged propane tanks around the building which they had previously stolen from a local Starvin' Marvin's, Foster ignited the fuse of the homemade bomb. The boys then retreated to a picnic table across the street where they could view the destruction. About 13 minutes later an intense explosion ripped through the building, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage.