A man suffered serious injuries to his hands and face Friday after a device he was holding exploded near a Southern California diner, police said.

Fullerton police Lt. Jon Radus said authorities received a call around 8:50 a.m. about the explosion in the city some 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.

Initially, police were told it could be an electrical box and evacuated nearby businesses, he said. Investigators later determined the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device and found a second improvised explosive device in the area, he said.

"We believe they were his," Radus said, adding that police would seek to have the 59-year-old man criminally charged.

The man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries to his fingers, face and throat, Radus said. Police declined to provide the man's name.