Hopkinton’s police and fire chiefs on Wednesday reported that their departments responded Monday to the discovery of a plastic bottle containing live and spent fireworks, prompting an investigation by state police bomb technicians.
In a joint statement, Police Chief Joseph Bennett and Fire Chief Gary Daugherty explained the situation, noting that there appears to be no correlation between the fireworks being found on Monday and the Boston Marathon, which started in Hopkinton that morning.
According to the police log, HPD received a call at 1:57 p.m. Monday about a possible “incendiary device in his front yard” at Thayer Heights Road, more than a mile from the Boston Marathon route. The caller described that it “looks like a bottle with wires and firecrackers coming out of it.”
Police and fire personnel responded first and called in the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
State police bomb technicians conducted a visual examination and X-ray diagnostics and determined the bottle contained expended and live energetic material in the form of consumer-grade fireworks. The bomb technicians safely removed the contents for documentation and removed them from the scene.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the plastic bottle was first spotted over the weekend but not reported to authorities until Monday. An investigation into the object’s origin remains active and ongoing.
“Any unexploded firework or suspicious object found after a firework display should be considered live and dangerous,” stated Daugherty. “Do not touch. Notify the fire department or police department immediately, by calling 911, for proper handling and disposal.”
Bennett and Daugherty urged parents to impress upon their children that fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts because they are dangerous.
“Every year in Massachusetts, illegal fireworks cause serious injuries and property damage,” noted Bennett. “If you know anything about this object, call.”
“Anything suspicious should be treated as dangerous,” added Daugherty. “If you discover something like this, call 911 and let the experts remove it.”
“At this time, there is no evidence that suggests there was any intention to cause harm to the public,” Bennett stressed. “Although it was reported the same day as the Boston Marathon, we found nothing to suggest it was related to the event.”
He thanked “conscientious residents” who reported finding the object.
Stated Bennett: “That was the right call to make.”
The bomb squad for some fireworks? Really? I’ll go out on a limb and guess some kids are looking for their fireworks right now.