Dynamite Peril Keeps 1,600 Out of Homes in Ohio
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — About 1,600 people remained out of their homes Thursday as police ordered evacuations within half a mile of a building where 600 pounds of unstable dynamite was found in a storage locker.
Authorities reported two arrests for looting in the closed area and said they arrested the man who rented the locker.
Police warned property owners within a mile of The Spare Room to prepare for breaking glass in case the dynamite exploded. The dynamite was found Wednesday by the warehouse owner, who entered the locker because the tenant had not paid the rent.
Fire officials planned to burn the dynamite and closed a portion of Interstate 70 and nearby roads.
They said that highly explosive nitroglycerin had leaked from the dynamite, which was manufactured in 1978, and that the boxes containing it had deteriorated.
Investigators said they believe that the dynamite had been stored in the locker for six years.
John Gerrard Reider, who rented the locker, was arrested in Kansas City, Mo., Columbus Police Capt. Ralph Webb said. Columbus police charged Reider with possession of a dangerous ordnance.
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