Police find homemade pipe bomb near Pine View High School

ST. GEORGE – St. George Police found what appeared to be an unexploded pipe bomb Sunday morning near Pine View High School located at 850 E. 750 North in St. George.

At about 10:30 a.m., an officer was following up on a call received Saturday night about some juveniles lighting fireworks in a field on the southwest side of the school, St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain said.

“He located what appeared to be a pipe bomb made out of PVC pipe, about 6 inches long, about an inch in diameter,” Despain said. “It had a fuse sticking out of it.”

The device had endcaps on it, and it appeared that someone had tried to light it. To be on the safe side, Despain said, the bomb squad was called, and a remote-controlled robot was used to inspect and then detonate the device.

Someone had taken the explosive material out of purchased fireworks, and put it into the PVC pipe, he said, “to make a great big firecracker.”

It is illegal to construct your own fireworks, Despain said. If found, the persons responsible could be cited for building an explosive device.

“It’s never a good idea to build your own homemade explosives,” he said,

“Fireworks are dangerous enough if used properly,” he said, but altering them is even more hazardous. “Potentially, it could be life-threatening.”

Residents need to be aware of the rules and regulations and abide by them, Despain said, and asks that people be aware of fireworks rules and regulations, and abide by them.

Fireworks safety

Anyone with questions about fireworks can contact the St. George Fire Department as 435-627-4150.

The following are fireworks safety tips listed on the City of St. George website:

  • Use only fireworks purchased in the State of Utah from licensed dealers or retailers; if you purchased the fireworks out of state, they are more than likely not legal in this state, you will be cited if caught, and will be responsible to pay for any damages and extinguishment costs as a result of any fires that you cause
  • Use only with responsible adult supervision at all times
  • Never allow young children to handle fireworks
  • Light the fireworks in an open area and on a non-combustible surface such as a driveway or paved area
  • If windy conditions exist do not light fireworks
  • Keep a bucket of water available
  • Handle used and “dud” fireworks with a shovel
  • Soak fireworks thoroughly in a bucket of water or hose prior to disposal
  • Keep clear while lighting fireworks do not lean over them at any time
  • Do not relight “dud” fireworks
  • Watch out for your pets and animals. Preferably keep them indoors and away from the displays
  • Check for any restrictions that may apply to your area

Related posts

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

1 Comment

  • fun bag July 6, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    Bubba’s homemade firecrackers– git ’em while the gitt’n’s good!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.