LOS ANGELES, CA — Dozens of San Fernando Valley residents were evacuated Wednesday morning after a homeowner discovered about 20 sticks of dynamite inside a freezer in her garage, according to a report.
Los Angeles police responded around 9 a.m. to a home on the 6100 block of Rhodes Avenue after the woman called authorities while cleaning out the freezer, KTLA reported.
The homeowner told officers she did not know how the explosives got there.
Bomb squad technicians determined the dynamite was active and evacuated residents within a 500-foot radius as a precaution, according to the report. Authorities said roughly 32 people left their homes during the response, while others remained sheltered in place.
The explosives, estimated to weigh between 10 and 15 pounds, were reportedly rendered safe and removed from the neighborhood. No blasting caps or fuses were found.
Police do not believe the case is criminal and are treating the dynamite as lost or found property while investigators work to determine where it came from and how it ended up in the freezer, KTLA reported.
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