CATHCART — A loud boom Tuesday evening south of Snohomish, in the Cathcart area, was caused by a controlled explosion conducted by the county’s bomb squad.
“We apologize for the noise disturbance,” the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office tweeted.
According to a news release, a sheriff’s deputy was investigating reports of fireworks and rockets that had been going off for months near Silver Lake. The deputy reportedly found a 19-year-old man walking through some trees with several explosive devices.
The deputy got the man’s consent to search his home, where there was “an enormous amount of fireworks,” including explosive powders, according to a news release.
Because the explosives were not safe to transport, a bomb squad responded and took them via trailer to the Cathcart Operations Center, the closest place where they could be safely detonated. The “emergent destruction” of the explosives took place at 8:30 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. It caused a rush of 911 calls, as well as social media speculation all around south Snohomish County.
The county bomb squad consists of members from the Washington State Patrol, the Everett Police Department and the sheriff’s office. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.
“We assure you that safety is our highest priority,” state patrol trooper Heather Axtman said in a statement. “And we removed these explosives from a neighborhood residence in the safest and fastest way possible.”
No arrests were made. Charges for possession of explosives were referred to the prosecutor’s office. The investigation is ongoing, said sheriff’s office spokeswoman O’Keefe said.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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