Media Release June 10, 2010 Sweetwater Bomb Squad Destroys Old Explosives Cache

Explosion took place when the Sweetwater Bomb Squad destroyed 100+ pounds of explosives on June 9th.

Law enforcement bomb technicians safely disposed of a large quantity of dangerous explosives near Rock Springs Wednesday night [June 9, 2010]. According to Sweetwater County Sheriff Rich Haskell, the Sweetwater Bomb Squad was called out Wednesday afternoon to the site of an abandoned coal mine about 1.5 miles northeast of Rock Springs. At the site, a crew carrying out mitigation work for the Abandoned Mine Land Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality had discovered over 100 pounds of old explosives. Officials speculate that the explosives were left over from a backfill project. Haskell said bomb technicians Corporal Debbie Tippy, Officer Doug Lauze, both of the Green River Police Department, and Officer Paul Schoenfeld of the Rock Springs Police Department, all members of the Sweetwater Bomb Squad, destroyed the old explosives cache with a countercharge of their own composed of 50 pounds of an explosive called Seismopac. The bomb technicians set off their countercharge at about 9:00 PM. Due to the relative proximity of Interstate 80, troopers of the Wyoming Highway Patrol closed down both the east- and westbound lanes of the highway in the area of mile marker 108 for about 30 minutes during the shoot, while a crew from Sweetwater County Fire District #1 stood by in the event of fire. Haskell and Fire District #1 Chief Jim Wamsley confirmed that no one was injured during the course of the incident. "The construction crew did exactly the right thing," Haskell said. "Whenever anything is found or encountered that might be explosives, fuses, or bomb components, the thing to do is back off and call it in. Under no circumstances should you try to move or even touch anything."

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