HOLLADAY — Hazmat teams detonated old explosives found at a Salt Lake County home early Wednesday morning after evacuating dozens of nearby homes.
Capt. Tony Barker of the Unified Fire Authority said the owner of a home near 6200 South and 2300 East called a friend to help him with “old dynamite” that a family member had given him discount.
“It wasn’t anything malicious, just a call to a friend to say, ‘Hey, I don’t know what to do with this thing and maybe you can come take a look,'” Barker said.
After realizing the amount of dynamite in the house, the two men called authorities, causing the nearby street to be locked down. Around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, authorities expanded the evacuation zone to 1,500 feet in all directions.
Two explosions were noted around 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Barker could not give the exact amount of dynamite found in the house, saying there was “a lot” and “its range was quite impressive.”
“The information we have received indicates that the dynamite has been passed down from generation to generation, so how old it is, we don’t actually know,” he said.
When asked where the dynamite was found in the house, such as the basement, garage or shed, Barker replied, “Yes. Everything. Right.”
Barker said the home containing the explosives would be uninhabitable after the detonations, which took place inside the home, according to KSL NewsRadio. An evacuation center was set up at Oakwood Primary School and evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes around 6am.
The smoke continues to escape…💨💨💨
Dynamite was found INSIDE a home in Holladay. A lot.
The fire captain calls it “old” dynamite. 🧨🧨🧨
It is said to have been passed down from generation to generation.
Updates on @KSL5TV. pic.twitter.com/oCW8VHDIzJ
– Karah Brackin (@kbontv) April 24, 2024
Contributor: Adam Petit
