Bomb squad clears Union property after report of blasting caps, dynamite scare

Two Oregon State Police bomb technicians were called to a Bellwood Street property in Union after a report of blasting caps and suspected dynamite, turning a quiet morning into a high-risk public-safety response. The call came in at about 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, and the state bomb unit treated it as serious enough to send specialized personnel to the scene.

Technicians recovered 12 electric copper caps from the property and later disposed of them. They also x-rayed the item believed to be a box of dynamite, only to find four 1-gallon paint cans inside. The finding ended the immediate danger, but only after the kind of careful inspection that keeps a suspicious-materials call from becoming a larger emergency.

OSP logged the incident under BATS ID #1595208, a reference that gives investigators and records staff a specific way to track the response. The initial call did not explain why the caps were on the property or how the container came to be suspected of holding explosives, leaving the public record focused on the outcome rather than the circumstances that led to the alarm.

Even in a small community, the stakes were high. Union had a population of 2,152 in the 2020 census, and Union County had 26,196 residents. In a county that sits between the Blue Mountains and the Wallowa Mountains, a report involving possible explosives can pull in scarce public-safety resources quickly and unsettle neighbors while crews work to clear the scene.

The response also showed why local officials turn to the Oregon State Police Explosives Unit for this kind of call. OSP says its unit is accredited, and its Hazard Device Technicians are certified through the FBI National Bomb Squad Commanders’ Advisory Board. The unit uses hazardous-duty robots, total containment vessels, radiograph equipment, advanced disablement tools and bomb suits, and it handles explosives investigations, render-safe work for known improvised explosive devices, analysis of suspect packages and destruction of unwanted or deteriorated explosive materials.

For rural property owners and neighbors, the lesson is straightforward: if you come across suspected blasting caps, dynamite or any other suspicious materials, do not touch, move or open them. Keep people and animals away, stay clear of the area and call 911 or local law enforcement right away so trained bomb technicians can decide whether the threat is real and handle it safely.