Explosive chemicals found in shed Hazmat crews clean home in Veazie

VEAZIE – Emergency crews spent about 11 hours removing more than 40 pounds of potentially explosive and hazardous materials from a shed on Chase Road after they were discovered Thursday evening by the homeowner.

The materials, most of which are extremely flammable, included about a pound of black powder and 9 pounds of powered magnesium. The shed, which is detached but close by the house, is in a residential area.

“We believe the materials may have been used for the construction of pyrotechnic devices,” Veazie Assistant Fire Chief Carl Tenney said Friday.

One of the home’s former owners is Eric Hake, who used to own Blue Hill Pyrotechnics, according to town officials. The chemicals are believed to have belonged to Hake.

Officials from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, who also responded to the call, were unsure to whom the chemicals belonged or whether any charges would be filed.

Harry Duvall recently purchased the 1125 Chase Road property, and when he opened the shed and found the chemicals, he called the town office.

Code Enforcement Officer Allan Thomas went to the home and said he knew right away “those things wouldn’t mix very well.”

The Veazie Fire and Police departments, as well as the Orono hazardous materials team, were called to the scene around 6 p.m. Thursday and didn’t leave until 4 a.m. Friday.

“Once we had a determination of what the items were in the shed, we sat down and made an action plan,” Tenney said.

Emergency personnel wore protective suits that are sealed so no chemicals can penetrate.

“It’s a suit that’s basically its own environment inside,” Orono fire Lt. Scott Luciano said Friday.

The suit also has flash protection to protect against sudden fires or small explosions, he said.

“If [the chemicals] were mixed together, it could have caused a fairly serious issue, but alone most of them are fairly stable,” Luciano said.

The chemicals were removed one at a time and packaged in individual, secure drums before being taken by the Department of Environmental Protection. Nothing was detonated at the site.

“We’re holding the chemicals for eventual disposal,” Tom Varney, an oil and hazardous material specialist with DEP, said Friday. “First we have to decide how much is going to be held for evidence, and for whom.”

DEP likely will test each chemical to determine what it is, as there were three 1-quart containers of an unknown liquid and about 25 pounds of an unidentified white solid.

“We don’t know what they all are,” he said.