ATF Performs Controlled Detonation

TYLER — Smith County Public Information Officer Larry Christian told KTBB on Friday, “No one was injured during the ATF’s controlled detonation on Thursday evening.” This came about after Smith County Deputies acted in response to a call from an individual cleaning out a vacant house in the Chapel Hill area. Materials in a shed were recognized as explosives. Investigators notified the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The ATF assessed the situation before eventually performing a controlled detonation of commercial grade flash powder and chemicals which are used in the manufacture of pyrotechnics. No one was injured during collection or detonation of the explosives. Christian said “No criminal charges were filed on anyone being that the property was abandoned. The foreclosing company told the ATF, take it do what you got to do with it. So that’s when the decision was made to obviously go ahead and detonate it there on scene because of the volatility of the materials and the necessity of not moving it anywhere.”