More than 100 calls were made to 911 Saturday night after some type of explosion was reported in the north Shawnee area. A search and investigation were launched, revealing the cause of the explosion to be part of a local resident’s business, and apparently legal.
The source of the blast, felt as far away as Meeker, was a 40-pound explosive firearm target, said Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Capt. Travis Palmer.
The incident occurred on a property along Bryan Road, north of Garrett’s Lake Road, where a man has a business of selling these type of exploding targets, Palmer explained.
The targets, made with ammonium nitrate and aluminium oxide, require a certain type of rifle to ignite, he said.
Reports of an explosion, with causes possible by a bomb or a plane crash, flooded the 911 center in Pottawatomie County about 9:05 p.m. Saturday, Palmer said, with no one knowing what had happened or where.
Firefighters searched the area and law enforcement officers from local and tribal agencies, along with numerous sheriff’s reserves, canvassed the area in search of what happened, Palmer said. Deputies gathered numerous statements from neighbors in the area.
“It was a serious matter — everyone was extremely concerned” Palmer added.
Once authorities found the source, deputies began an investigation and even called out the Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad, Sheriff Mike Booth said, but there was no need for them to be there.
Booth said it was discovered the man was experimenting with building a target and had to detonate it. It also was determined the ingredients the man had were legal because of his business, Booth stated.
As part of the follow-up, the sheriff’s office contacted federal authorities with the ATF and the state fire marshal’s for any possible violations of the law, but it appears none have taken place, Palmer said.
“According to the ATF, it is legal because it’s his business,” Booth said. “There’s no federal law keeping him from doing that.”
Still, authorities don’t feel such explosions should be done, especially without some type of notice. As a result of the blast, some nearby homeowners reported to deputies that they had damage in the their homes, like cracked windows and walls, and broken picture frames.
“Any civil liability is on him,” Booth said. “Criminally, our hands are tied.”
Palmer said numerous resources were spent on this matter. To err on the side of caution, Palmer said he planned to check with Homeland Security and the FBI as follow-ups continue in the case.
“There was a lot of endangerment in this fiaso ... we’re not smiling about it,” Palmer said.
Palmer said the blast was felt miles away and it shook the Sac and Fox Casino on Westech Road. Deputies also were receiving reports that it may have had a slight register on the Richter Scale, which measures seismic activity, or earthquakes.
Calls seeking comment from an ATF representative were not returned.