| |
 |
| By Jim McKeever |
| Officials wait in a safe area for the Columbus Bomb Squad to arrive. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| By Jim McKeever |
| Columbus Bomb Squad arrives as Chief Layton apprises them of the situation. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| By Jim McKeever |
| Bomb Squad 2 turns around to move to the proper location |
|
|
| |
 |
| By Jim McKeever |
| Bomb Squad 2 is in position for the investigation. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| By Jim McKeever |
| Investigators move into get a closer look. |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| By Jim McKeever |
| With the “all clear” given, the bomb squad crew prepares to return to Columbus. |
|
|
|
|
COSHOCTON, OH – On Saturday, July 26, 2008, at 11:39 a.m., a call came into the Coshocton Fire Department’s Hale Station stating that they believe they had found one stick of dynamite at the Windsor Wood Senior assisted Living facility.
Responding to the scene was Coshocton Engine 305, the Fire Chief Michael Layton, and Fire Inspector Jeff Corder. Also going en route, was two Sheriff Department Deputies and a crew from the Coshocton County EMS. After arriving on scene the suspected object, described by the facility as being marked as” railroad dynamite,” had been removed from the building, and taken to a location outside the back of the building.
As a precaution, the residents of the facility were evacuated to the near by Senior Citizens Center for their safety. Also as a precaution ,a near by gas station was asked to shut down, as well as the tanker trucks on the gas station property, were moved off the property to a safe distance. Browns Lane, which runs near the facility, was also shut down to traffic by the Coshocton County R.E.A.C.T.
A call to Columbus, Ohio was made to request the bomb squad to come to Coshocton to aid in the investigation of the suspicious object. After arrival of the bomb squad, the investigators went to work to determine what they had. After a thorough investigation, the object was determined to be an old railroad fusee (flare) that had belonged to one of the residents whose brother had worked for the railroad and had been kept as a keepsake.
The fusees were used by the railroads on un-signaled lines at dark to keep the trains spaced apart. The fusee usually lasted about ten minutes so if a train came upon a lit fusee it was to wait until it was burned out before moving on.
Much to the investigators relief, the” all clear” was given and the residents were allowed to return to their apartments and the roads were reopened. Emergency workers were on scene for about three hours
All safety operations went well, and all officials should be commended for the professional manner in which the situation was handled.
More News From This State
|