Bomb squad in Tacoma responds to explosive device found near suspicious car fire
A homemade bomb was found near a suspicious car fire Thursday in Tacoma, police said. A bomb squad responded and rendered the explosive device safe.
No one was injured in the fire, which burned a Chevy SUV and a Chevy pickup at an encampment in the 1900 block of East D Street, near the Foss Waterway. The owner of both cars was living out of them, and the vehicles were total losses, police said.
Police are investigating the fires as arson. It’s not clear whether the explosive found nearby is related. How the fires were started is still being investigated.
Firefighters from Tacoma Fire Department responded at about 4:55 p.m. and arriving crews found the two cars on fire, spokesperson Joe Meinecke said. They extinguished the blaze and, while on scene, discovered what appeared to be a pipe bomb in the grass next to the cars.
The Tacoma Explosive Ordnance Detail responded and determined the bomb was an improvised explosive device. Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Wendy Haddow said the bomb squad rendered the device safe.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 11:25 AM.
