Explosive situation
Police spend weekend disabling dynamite discovered in local garage
It was a long day for members of the Medicine Hat Police Service, as the Explosive Disposal Unit — with help from the Lethbridge Police Service — were able to make dynamite found in a local garage inoperable.
The initial call to police came in at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, when a family living around the 600 block of Sixth Street S.W. was cleaning out the garage of a deceased family member.
The family found what it believed to be a box with dynamite inside the garage, and called the police for assistance.
“After getting the call and working with officers from Lethbridge we were able to render the dynamite safe,” said Staff Sgt. Brian Christmann.
Christmann said the MHPS was not finished at the scene until 2 a.m. because it needed assistance.
“One of the members of our Explosive Disposal Unit is off with an injury right now, and Suffield could not send us help, so we had to call Lethbridge for support,” he said.
The two teams worked together to make the dynamite inoperable by using diesel fuel, a bomb suit and the MHPS’s bomb robot, said Staff Sgt. Jason Graham late Saturday night.
Police were asking the public to avoid the area, but it is clear and safe now.
Christmann said if anyone finds what they believe could be an explosive, they should leave it be and call 911 immediately.
No charges are expected to be laid over this incident.