HOLLADAY, Utah, April 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Holladay home found to be loaded with a large cache of old, unstable dynamite has been detonated by police bomb technicians.
Unified Fire Authority officials said the dynamite, discovered in the home near 6200 South 2300 East, was reported by a new homeowner Tuesday. It’s believed the ordnance had been stored in the structure for years by the family that previously owned the residence.
After coming to the decision that the dynamite was too old and unstable to move, bomb technicians with Unified Police made the decision to detonate it in place, and residents in all directions were forced to evacuate their homes.
The technicians worked much of the day Tuesday and into the wee hours Wednesday morning before the home was brought down by two explosions.
The first blast was heard about 3:44 a.m. The second blast happened at 3:56 a.m. with a ball of flames shooting into the air.
Unified Fire Authority’s Deputy Chief Dustin Dern told Gephardt Daily that pre-positioned fire crews moved quickly to knock down the flames and keep them from spreading to nearby homes.
There were no reports of injury.
Most residents who had been forced to leave their homes were allowed to return shortly after the second blast.
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as more information becomes available.
