By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The streets around the Chehalis Fire Department are blocked off after a man showed up with what appeared to be a pipe bomb this morning.
He found it in his storage unit on Jackson Highway and took it to the downtown station, but left it inside his van, according to authorities.
Firefighters earlier this morning requested an officer respond and the arriving officer decided the device was a possible explosive according to the Chehalis Police Department.
The Washington State Patrol bomb squad is on the scene.
The man’s vehicle is parked outside the building on Northwest Park Street. The brick building is not evacuated.
Firefighters had already moved all their engines outside to a nearby intersection, so they are not prevented from answering emergency calls, Firefighter Kevin Reynolds said.
The state patrol is getting ready to dispose of it, Reynolds said shortly after 12 noon.
The incident began in the 9 o’clock hour, and there is no timeline for them to be finished, according to Reynolds.