NANAIMO — A vacant lot off Rosstown Road was the site of an unexplained explosion last week, raising concerns among residents and the RCMP.
Resident Steve Woods, who lives across the road from the lot, said this was the fifth explosion he has heard inside of a month.
But in this case, he said, it was the force with which it went off that caused him to call the police.
“It was such a huge explosion. I could feel it in my chest from my driveway,” said Woods, who was cleaning a boat outside with some friends when the blast occurred. “We looked over in that direction and could see this large blue smoky cloud bellowing from the top of the trees, and these trees are approximately 100 feet tall."
Nanaimo RCMP discovered a small pipe, aluminum foil and wrapping materials in the area. They believe these are the remains of a homemade explosive device.
Woods said his primary concern is the potential for injuries and fires. The area is heavily treed and has a housing development on the back side of the lot.
“There’s a lot of kids that live on Rosstown, and I’ve seen a lot of kids go through there to walk to the gas station,” he said.
Based on Woods’s description and the evidence found on scene, there was “potential for serious bodily harm to anyone who was nearby when the device exploded,” Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien said in a statement.
The detachment is asking anyone with information to contact it at 250-754-2345 or call Crime Stoppers at either 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or nanaimocrimestoppers.com.
