Bomb squad disposes “rotting & unstable” dynamite found at Anderson home
ANDERSON — The discovery of rotting and unstable dynamite during a code enforcement inspection of a private Anderson residence forced residential evacuations and road closures, while bomb squad members safely disposed of the potentially dangerous items.
The dynamite was found at a home on Barney Rd. late Thursday afternoon, Aug. 30, and the discovery caused officials to close Barney Rd. at Highway 273, as well as Marx Way at Barney Rd.
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Anderson police officers were summoned to the home about 4:20 p.m., after City of Anderson Code Enforcement officials notified them they had discovered “a substance that was potentially old dynamite” inside an outbuilding on Barney Rd. near Marx Way, Anderson PD explained in a social media post about the incident.
Anderson PD in turn contacted Shasta County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, who responded to the scene as well.
“Team members of the bomb squad confirmed that the substance was consistent with old dynamite that had deteriorated,” APD wrote. “The dynamite was in a condition that was unstable and possibly volatile.”
Bomb Squad members, along with Anderson Police and Fire officials began developing a plan, which included the possibility of detonating the substance in place.
“The plan included city officials obtaining a proclamation of local emergency, a limited evacuation, and road closures of the immediate area,” APD explained.
At about 9:30 a.m. the following morning, members of Anderson Police and Fire Departments, Shasta County Bomb Squad, CalFire, Dignity Health, California Highway Patrol and CHP AirOps, Caltrans, Redding Fire Department, and Anderson Public Works Department began putting safety measures in place, which included the evacuation and road closures.
At around 11:45 a.m., SHASCOM launched the community notification system in the affected area to alert the public of the situation and the areas to be evacuated.
Shasta County Bomb Squad safely detonated the substance shortly after noon and officials later checked the outbuilding to ensure there was no continuing danger to the public.
“The road closure and evacuations were only in place for about 45 minutes,” APD later released, while thanking area businesses and residents for their cooperation throughout the incident.
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Although some area residents reported windows shaking and feeling or hearing a small detonation, the dynamite’s disposal did not cause any major disruptions in the area and residents who live near where the dynamite was found were generally supportive and appreciative of emergency responder’s efforts.
After the dynamite’s disposal, area resident Jamie Watts wrote on social media, “Thank you all for being right there and doing your job and keeping We the People safe. Job well done!”
“And they did such a great job nobody heard a boom or anything!” Terry Brooke later wrote on APD’s social media release, saying she was happy there was “no disruption with in the community.”
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.