A homeowner in Valley Glen was doing some cleaning in her garage on Thursday morning when she made a shocking discovering — 20 sticks of live dynamite lurking in the back of an old freezer, authorities said.
Bomb squad investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the 6100 block of Rhodes Avenue shortly before 9:30 a.m. following reports of a suspicious device, according to a department spokesperson. Neighbors around the home were evacuated as a precautionary measure.
LAPD Capt. Warner Castillo said that the homeowner had no clue the dynamite sticks were in her garage or where they came from.
The devices were classified as “lost/found property” and detectives will continue investigating the incident to determine if there are any suspects, he said.
There are strict rules in California around the purchasing of dynamite, which is generally restricted to licensed professionals working in mining and quarry operations, building demolitions, tunneling projects and specialized industrial activities. Professionals generally need state and local permits as well as permits through the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to buy the explosives.
Bomb squad technicians worked to render the dynamite sticks safe by soaking them in diesel at the scene, he said.
“They decided to use diesel, especially because it was pretty hot out here,” he said. “They take everything into account: the weather, the heat, humidity, wind gusts. It’s a very dynamic formula.”
The dynamite was then taken away from the home and safely disposed of by bomb squad technicians.
Castillo noted that the sticks of dynamite had the potential to cause severe structural damage, serious blast injuries, concussions and hearing loss if they exploded. He commended the action of the woman who reported the explosives and urged everyone to follow her example and report suspicious items to authorities.
Last summer, three deputies with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department were killed when a grenade exploded at a training facility near East Los Angeles. The device was one of two that had been removed from the garage of an apartment in Santa Monica after they were discovered by a tenant in July.