Explosives in Mariposa County
Credit: Mariposa County Sheriff's Office

November 3, 2017 - The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office reports on TuesdayOctober 31, 2017 a citizen located and reported some suspected live explosive just inside of a mine entrance near the 7000 block of Highway 140. This occasionally occurs with our old and even current mining activity.

Deputies responded and confirmed a small cache of explosive and Det Cord. Also located were a couple of containers of unknown substances, appearing caustic. At that time is was determined that Hazmat needed to respond, CAL FIRE was contacted to Command the Hazmat operations under our authority. The uncertainty of the unidentified hazmat required furthered expertise. Which required more Hazmat experts respond.

All safety protocols were followed to ensure that public safety was a priority. Ultimately, it was determined that the substances were not a great threat and handled appropriately.

"I compliment the many local, state and fed agencies that assisted our County during this investigation. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation and believe it will be concluded shortly," said Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies, "The unsafe storage of explosives is a great concern to us and we are speaking with the responsible. Our investigation will be forwarded to the District Attorney." 

We will update with more details once the investigation is complete.
Source: Mariposa County Sheriff's Office