Mining explosives found during landscaping at Washington Terrace home

WASHINGTON TERRACE, Utah (ABC4) — Residents were evacuated and two schools were placed on secure status after landscapers located old mining explosives at a residence in Washington Terrace.

According to a press release from the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, landscapers were working in the area of 4700 S and 175 W in Washington Terrace early Monday. While digging in a yard, the landscapers located a box buried in the dirt and discovered what they believed to be explosives.

The landscapers evacuated the area with the homeowners, and the Weber County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area around 8:45 a.m. Monday. South Ogden City Police, Ogden City Police, the Washington Terrace Fire Department, and the Davis County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad also responded to the reported explosives.

Brandon Morton, a landscaper with Morton and Sons, told ABC4.com that his crew found the explosives.

“I got here to look at it, and when I saw it, I sent them home and I evacuated the residents, and police started evacuating all the houses around,” Morton said.

Law enforcement evacuated “a limited area around the scene,” and two nearby schools were placed on secure status: Bonneville High School and Washington Terrace Elementary School. Rocky Mountain Power also shut off electricity in the area as an extra precaution, the press release says.

Bomb techs were able to retrieve the box and confirmed that the items inside were four pieces of mining explosives, suspected to be “several decades old.” The bomb techs secured the explosives, and the area was cleared.

Lieutenant Sean Endsley with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said, “They confirmed that they are in fact, explosives. They are a type of mining explosive, and they appear to be very old. Several decades. The box they were in was very degraded, so they took possession of those. They’ll discard and destroy them later on.”

According to the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, there is no current public safety concern. The schools have come out of secure status, and the residents in the area are allowed to return home. Rocky Mountain Power will be reactivating power in the area.

“We are thankful for the quick and safe resolution to this incident. If you come across suspicious packages or possible explosives, please remember to not touch or disturb the items, quickly evacuate the area, and call 911,” the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said in their press release.