The attack, though unsuccessful, delivered a seismic shock to patients who feared for the safety of their embryos. But a firefighter’s risky plan averted disaster.

The 25-year-old man whom authorities believe detonated the car bomb that caused massive damage to a Palm Springs fertility clinic, killing himself and injuring several other people, was motivated by disdain for families and child birth in general,

Dr. Maher Abdallah credited a series of miracles for limiting the scope of devastation from last Saturday's bomb attack, noting no staff or patients were on site at the time and the clinic's in vitro fertilization lab remained intact.