Reason for explosive remains unknown

MOSES LAKE — A home safe loaded with explosive material was left near the corner of Loring Drive and Road I N.E., prompting authorities to block traffic through the area for about four hours Wednesday.

The Richland Police Bomb Squad safely blasted the safe and its contents with a loud bang at 12:36 p.m., sending a plume of dark smoke into the air. A passing motorist spotted the device around 8 a.m., sitting just off of Loring Drive.

No homes or buildings were in the immediate area near the blast. No property appeared damaged by the explosion.

Traffic resumed shortly after the homemade bomb was detonated.

Randy Bricker, a Richland police bomb technician, described the homemade device as a safe, approximately one-foot by one-foot in size, with a small hole and partially burned fuse.

"When we got up there we could smell some type of explosive," he said.

The fuse, Bricker said, burned out before triggering an explosion.

Before detonation, a bomb squad robot maneuvered down the street from a safe vantage point to place a charge on the safe.

"Our charge is to make (the device) safe," Bricker said. "We just needed to separate the components."

Authorities searched nearby fields for pieces or contents of the device, but didn't appear to collect any material.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office and Grant County Fire District No. 5 responded to the incident and secured the area.