By Sheriff Rob Nou
On Saturday, June 16, 2012 at about 1:00 p.m. Sheriff deputies and Lopez Island firefighters were sent to a Cross Road address on a reported explosive device. An improvised device was located in the mailbox.
The immediate area was evacuated and the roadway closed for nearly 5 hours until regional bomb squad members arrived from Snohomish County and rendered the device safe.
Examination of the device revealed that it had been made from a collection of “safe and sane” commercial fireworks, altered to manufacture a homemade bomb. Had the bomb exploded in the mailbox, fragments of that mailbox and elements of the bomb itself would have presented a serious risk to anyone in the immediate area.
Investigation into this incident is continuing.
The voters of San Juan County passed an ordinance that prohibits possession of all personal use fireworks. As we approach the 4th of July, this will be the first year that the fireworks ban has been in place. The professional fireworks shows are not affected.
