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OGDEN -- The explosives found in an Ogden home last week were detonated Wednesday afternoon, putting an end to its danger.
Ogden firefighters, along with the Davis County Bomb Squad and other officials, detonated the explosives near Little Mountain, which is in a rural part of Weber County, about 10 miles West of Ogden.
The man who had owned the chemicals stored them in his Ogden home. He had plans to store them somewhere else, but when that fell through, he kept them in his house.
A family member called the Ogden City Fire Department for help in disposing of the chemicals. Some of them were set off Saturday, but neighbors complained the detonations were too close to the neighborhood.
"We took some small pieces into the mountains, the foothills," said Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Chad Tucker, "and we lit those off. That was the best way to destroy the product."
The chemicals were used to manufacture rocket fuel. Tucker said the man had Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm (ATF) licensing to have the chemicals.
"He was in the business of that," said Tucker. "He was in the business of manufacturing rocket fuels. He had got out of the business and was looking for a place to store all his chemicals. When something didn't work out, he stored them in his home."
Fire crews were on hand during the detonation and put out small brush fires after the explosion.
One piece of material flew nearly 50 feet into the air after the explosion.
Tucker said the man was the same man who had chemicals stored in two Box Elder County storage units. Those units were found two weeks ago in Perry and Willard after a family friend called officials for help.
That situation led to the discovery of chemicals in his Ogden home.
Box Elder County Deputy Chief Kevin Potter said at the time that he didn't believe the man was up to "no good."
Officials there are still determining the best way to dispose of those chemicals.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
