Finding explosives in a vehicle meant for transporting children is an alarming discovery, which is why one school bus with 50 Pounds (23 kg) of dynamite has sent local authorities in Anchorage, Alaska, into a mad scramble to defuse the situation. It all began when one hapless property owner poked around and wondered why a bus was parked on his land.
The incident took place on Wednesday, July 23, on an undisclosed property located at mile 115 of the Richardson Highway in Anchorage, Alaska. An anonymous property owner was puzzled at the sight of a school bus parked on his land with no driver or person inside, so he inspected it. To his horror, he found 50 Pounds of dynamite just sitting inside the abandoned vehicle, so he quickly called the FBI.
Afterward, a seven-hour operation ensued since the State Troopers and federal officers had to shut down the whole highway while they extracted and defused the bombs. Thankfully, the operation was a success and no one was harmed. Authorities even estimated that the dynamite bundle was at least 20 years old.
“They assessed that the antiquated dynamite was not in a location that they wanted to do a controlled explosion. So, they worked diligently as a team to remove the dynamite to a more appropriate location to dispose of it in a safe and proper manner, which was a controlled burn,” according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day, transcript courtesy of Fox19
It’s worth noting that dynamites past their shelf life tend to be more dangerous as they might become unstable or might leak their explosive compounds. Accidental detonations are thus more likely. That’s why extra care is needed when discovering abandoned and old explosives, and the Alaska property owner was fortunate that he didn’t mistake the old dynamite sticks for wet Takis.
An Explosive Discovery
So far, the FBI hasn’t disclosed how the bombs or the bus made their way into the Anchorage property owner’s land, though they praised the owner for cooperating and informing them quickly of the dynamite. While the discovery of the bomb was quite shocking or scary, the FBI has stated that it’s actually not uncommon for property owners to discover bombs on their property.
People online were worried about that statement from the FBI, as it implies explosive devices are way too common in the US. Apparently, people also used to be able to buy dynamite in hardware stores in the not-so-distant past and perhaps even forget about it, stashing it somewhere unsafe.
Meanwhile, others have joked about the origins of the dynamite on the Alaska school bus, as the FBI remains quiet about its investigation, as expected. Comparisons to pop culture references such as Keanu Reeves’ Speed or even Mythbusters were some of the more popular and most hilarious guesses.
“Did the bus have to stay above 50 mph?” asks Muffinshire
“Ah the mythbusters bus,” according to Fredrules2012
“They look like wet Takis lol,” jokes wizardrous
