Devices Found At Bellevue Transfer Station Not Pipe Bombs: Police

BELLEVUE, WA — Two devices that prompted evacuations and a visit from the Bellevue bomb squad Wednesday turned out to be innocuous after further investigation, police said Thursday.

Employees working at the Factoria Recycling and Transfer Station called 911 after finding the suspicious items around 3 p.m. Wednesday. About two hours later, Bellevue police said the bomb squad had neutralized two pipe bombs but investigators did not believe they were left there nefariously.

After looking into it further, police found the items were not, in fact, pipe bombs but rather a homemade solution to eradicate household moles. Police said the pipes contained a chemical mixture meant to create a poisonous plume for moles.

Unfortunately, the homeowner accidentally pressurized one of the pipes, police said, leading it to rupture and seriously injure his hand. While he was in the hospital, the man's wife took the surviving devices to the dump.

After seeing the devices and learning about the explosion, employees contacted authorities, prompting the bomb squad response and precautionary evacuations. Police said bomb techs successfully destroyed the remaining devices.