[1]The scene on Hart Road east of Winlock today. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The discovery of seriously deteriorated explosives in an old barn outside Winlock led to the intentional destruction of the building this morning by experts.
A bomb squad with the Washington State Patrol concluded the safest way to dispose of the volatile materials was to conduct a controlled burn, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
The dilapidated structure on the 100 block of Hart Road was almost nearly consumed by fire by about noon today, the sheriff’s office reports.
A deputy responded there last night after the property owner made the find while cleaning out the barn, according to the sheriff’s office.
The explosives appeared to have been there long before he bought the property and probably for several decades, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said in a news release. It was hard to tell exactly what it was because of its poor condition, but they think it may have been old mining dynamite, she said.
Members of Lewis County Fire District 15 lit the fire about 11:40 a.m. and the plan went off without any hitches, according to Brown.
It’s not an uncommon kind of call for the sheriff’s office in Lewis County, even though access to explosives nowadays is fairly limited.
Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield said the man who came across the old explosives in his old barn did the right thing in a dangerous situation. He hopes other would do the same.
“I continue to urge people not to pick up, handle, or transport anything that even remotely resembles an explosive device,” Mansfield stated. “The best thing to do is immediately leave the area and call our office.”
[2]The volatile materials laying inside the barn. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office