THUNDER BAY – A large amount of dynamite that prompted a police response after being found buried in a north side backyard may be linked to a 1960s-era theft, the homeowner reports.
Julie Colquhoun, who lives in the home where the explosives were discovered, said the surreal experience luckily wound up posing little danger, but left her with a tantalizing story.
Workers had been digging post holes for a fence in her backyard when they encountered “a bunch of sticks of dynamite,” she said.
“Someone came to the door and said they’d found dynamite in the backyard, and of course, my first reaction was, I was terrified of what that means — and should we get out of the house?”
“They said no, they thought the risk was low and that it was very old dynamite.”
The incident led police to tape off a section of Marlborough Street and warn local residents away from the area as crews worked to unearth and examine the material under the supervision of an OPP explosives disposal expert on Wednesday.
Colquhoun’s family were told the risk was low enough they could remain in their home.
Authorities were confident enough in that assessment that an elementary school directly across the street was not evacuated or placed under a hold-and-secure.
In what became a day-long assessment that included the use of a backhoe, workers proceeded to unearth a burlap sack and the remnants of a wooden box full of expired dynamite, she said.
“Emotionally, I fluctuated between terrified and laughing so hard, because it’s just such a surreal thing to have happened. Once we knew the risk was very low, then I was able to just focus on what a story this is.”
According to Colquhoun, responders had reason to believe the discovery could be linked to a box of dynamite that was never recovered after an incident that occurred more than 50 years ago.
“Apparently in the early ‘60s, there was a truck that a case of dynamite had fallen off of, and they’re linking it back to that — it was never fully recovered,” she said.
“It’s all speculation about whether or not that’s what it is, but the age [of the dynamite] sort of aligns.”
The large number of sticks found — close to 100, she said — was another factor potentially matching with details from the historic theft.
“They wondered if maybe children had just buried it to hide what they had taken,” she added.
The Thunder Bay Police Service acknowledged the hypothesis as a possible explanation for the discovery, but could not confirm the details.
The force ultimately took possession of the material and reported it has been safely disposed of.
The amount of dynamite could have posed a serious safety risk if it had been live, Colquhoun said.
“My nephew works at a mine and said, that would have flattened your house, and one of the officers said it probably would have taken out a good chunk of the block had it actually been live.”
With the dynamite and nearby soil that could have posed a contamination hazard removed, Colquhoun said workers will soon return to finish her fence, installed to allow a new puppy to tear around her backyard.
“I’m hoping they’re not frightened to come back,” she laughed. “But my Friday deadline has been extended to next week now.”
