50 pounds of dynamite found in abandoned school bus

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - Authorities in Alaska had to remove 50 pounds of dynamite found in an old school bus Wednesday, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Anchorage office.

Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day said the property owner discovered the dynamite in the bus located at mile 115 of the Richardson Highway. The bus was parked on his property, and he called law enforcement, which in turn contacted the FBI.

State Troopers and other agencies were involved in the seven-hour operation that shut the Richardson Highway periodically on Wednesday while it was taking place.

Agents said the dynamite was at least 20 years old and its location near the highway made it unsafe to try to detonate the explosives there.

“They assessed that the antiquated dynamite was not in a location that they wanted to do a controlled explosion,” Day said. “So, they worked diligently as a team to remove the dynamite to a more appropriate location to dispose of it in a safe and proper manner, which was a controlled burn.”

Day said the dynamite was doused with chemicals to keep it from exploding while it was burned. The situation was also monitored by a bomb disposal robot.

Agents did not provide information on how the explosives got on the bus or their intended use. They did add that the property owner cooperated completely and did the right thing to call the discovery in.

Day said it is not uncommon for people to find explosives on their property with no idea of how they got there.

“Someone goes to clear out their parent’s shed and that’s when they discover it, and they never knew it was there,” she said.

The best thing to do, she said, is call law enforcement which will assess the situation before making sure the explosives are disposed of safely.