A suspicious item found at a home in Burbank Thursday prompted a response from a law enforcement bomb squad that safely removed it.
The item was reported around 12:40 p.m. at a home in the 1800 block of Maple Street. The owner of the home was cleaning out their garage and found a metal box containing what they believed to be old dynamite belonging to their deceased father who worked as a miner, according to police reports.
The owner immediately contacted Burbank Police, who arrived shortly after. Police officials closed the street between Victory Boulevard and Jeffries Avenue, according to BPD reports from the scene.
“Due to the densely populated area and the uncertainty of the found item, the surrounding neighborhood was cordoned off as a precaution and several residential units were evacuated in the interest of safety,” said BPD Spokesman Sgt. Brent Fekety.
One witness to the events who lives in the neighborhood — Jorge Mendoza — posted on Facebook: “I am on Kenwood Street and a Burbank Police knocked on my door and asked me to evacuate.”
Officers examined the item and could not determine what it was, other than that it was extremely corroded.
The officers took a picture of the item and notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Arson and Explosives Detail, who assists with possible explosive-related incidents in the city of Burbank.
A Sheriff’s Department bomb squad arrived at the scene to investigate the item.
“Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Arson and Explosives Detail responded expeditiously and examined the item. Investigators determined the box contained corroded road flares and they were safely removed,” Fekety said in a statement.
At about 5 p.m., police announced that the scene had been cleared and the surrounding area was opened to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The affected residents were allowed to return home. No injuries were reported.
The Burbank Police Department would like to remind members of the community to remain vigilant and not touch, move or handle any suspicious or unknown item, but immediately notify local law enforcement.
— Gavin J. Quinton and City News Service contributed to this report.
First published in the July 1 print issue of the Burbank Leader.
