Residents evacuated after gelignite scare
Closed . . . a police car sits in Nairn St, blocking off Stuart St, after explosives were identified at a Roslyn house (circled).
By Jon Bassett
Police evacuated part of Roslyn last night and closed roads after eight sticks of explosives were identified at a house in Oates St.
An army bomb squad left Christchurch at 8.45pm and was expected to arrive in Dunedin early this morning to deal with the emergency.
Evening Dunedin traffic was prevented from entering the area after police set up five road blocks
Katherine Penniket (35), the owner of the home where the explosives were found, told the Otago Daily Times : "I hope to have a house in the morning."
Ms Penniket said eight sticks labelled "Powergel" were found in the shed at the rear of the house two weeks ago.
They were wrapped in newspaper, bubble wrap and another bag, she said. The sticks were placed in the garden under a hedge.
The sticks were noticed by a man attending a barbecue at the house yesterday afternoon. He suggested police should be called.
After inspecting the explosives, police evacuated residents within a 100m radius of the property. Those evacuated had to find their own accommodation for the night.
The Shell Kaikorai service station in Stuart St, about 150m from the house, was also closed as a safety precaution.
Late last night, the explosives were still in the the driveway of the house, within 2m of a parked car. In the vehicle was another partygoer's pet dog and last night she feared for the animal's safety.
New Zealand Chemical Industry Council technical director Bill Birch said, when contacted, Powergel resembled a roll of pet food and was used in activities such as mining and quarrying.
Mr Birch said the explosive required a detonator to be set off: "If you drop it and kick it, it's not going to go off."
Police set up road blocks in a 600m radius, at the intersections of Stuart St and Highgate, Hereford and Ann Sts and Hereford and Oates Sts. Traffic was also prevented from entering Kaikorai Valley Rd at the intersection of Mellor St, and the Taieri Rd-Nairn St intersection.
Senior Sergeant Darryl Lenanne, of Dunedin, said the operation, requiring up to 10 officers, "stretched" police resources: "But we're managing at the moment. It has been difficult."
The source of the explosive was not known last night.
Thursday, 10-October 2002
― (doorag), Thursday, 10 October 2002 20:58 (twenty-three years ago)
twenty-two years pass...