Explosives Destroyed

By Sentinel Staff
    Explosives experts from the FBI and the state fire marshal’s office destroyed eight and a half sticks of explosive material Wednesday evening near the place where they had been found Tuesday, Sitka Fire Department said today.
    Signs were posted to warn hikers on the nearby Cross Trail to keep away until the disposal was completed.
    “It went off without a hitch, like we were hoping,” Fire Department engineer Craig Warren said.
    The FBI Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit and fire marshal’s office moved the material to a spur off the Cross Trail and away from residential areas and destroyed it with two controlled blasts of C4 explosive, Warren said.
    A hiker had found the material in a plastic bag tucked under a log about 30 feet away from the trail, north of Charteris Street. The origin wasn’t known, and Warren noted the material looked “extremely old.”