Suspected nitroglycerin shuts down neighborhood
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: August 08, 2008
A small vial of what could have been highly volatile nitroglycerin caused a residential area to be shut down Tuesday and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad to respond to where the contained substance was found in an old wooden box.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
A small vial of what could have been highly volatile nitroglycerin caused a residential area to be shut down Tuesday and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad to respond to where the contained substance was found in an old wooden box. The vial, discovered on the 900 block of East Santa Paula Street, was isolated and taken care of without further incident.
The find was reported at about 1:40 p.m., according to Santa Paula Fire Chief Rick Araiza.
Santa Police Lieutenant Carlos Juarez said the incident started when a man “came in and said he was cleaning out his godfather’s garage” and found the vial in a wooden box. The godfather had been a miner, and “It wouldn’t be unusual for him to have this stuff” used in mining excavation.
SPPD and SPFD personnel responded to the scene, examined the vial, and “They came out and said ‘good call’,” as nitroglycerin can explode if exposed to the slightest jolt, impact or friction. The SPFD set up a “circle of sandbags” to isolate the vial, while a call went out to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad to respond.
Araiza said the 900 block of East Santa Paula Street between 9th and Mill streets was closed to traffic, and although residents were not evacuated “They were told there might be a loud noise” from setting off the small amount of explosive material.
Using a water cannon, a “12 gauge blank that blows about 12 ounces of water at the substance,” Juarez said “At the most potent, any explosion would have been contained in that sandbag bunker,” but the effort fizzled. The material in the vial “didn’t seem to have an explosive response, it could have turned inert from being unused for so long,” although Juarez said those responding “weren’t even sure it was nitro, but” due to its highly unpredictable nature, “nobody wanted to take any chances.”
All in all, he added, the incident “caused quite a bit of a traffic jam, but we wanted to err on the side of caution in case the substance was anything dangerous.”
Araiza said the scene was cleared of public safety personnel by about 3:15 p.m.
Nowadays, noted Juarez, people are “only allowed to have explosive devices like that” if they are a certified and licensed demolition expert.
|
