A small bomb was discovered by members of the public inside an apartment in the 4000 block of 15th Avenue.
The RCMP's provincial Explosive Disposal Unit was flown in to Prince George from the Lower Mainland to deal with the homemade devise. It turned out to contain "a small amount of explosive" that had the approximate power of a firecracker, according to local RCMP spokeswoman Const. Julie Champagne. Based on its appearance when discovered, however, it could have easily been much worse.
"For the witnesses to notice it and bring it to the attention of police was very good for public safety. You never know what could have happened," said Champagne.
The item - described as looking like a pipe bomb - was quite a surprise for the people of the apartment building. It was first brought by the witnesses to North District RCMP headquarters at about 2 p.m. Thursday. Following that, members of the Prince George detachment, including a dog, came to help the investigation.
"Someone just moved out of the apartment and the first witnesses were there to just clean the place out and that's when they found it," Champagne said. "They don't know exactly who built it, that is still under investigation."
The Prince George RCMP reminded the public to never handle anything that they believed could potently be an improvised explosive device. Call the Prince George RCMP detachment without handling it any further. Authorities will come, assess the situation and act accordingly.
