Explosion shakes Lakewood neighborhood after man experiments with homemade fireworks

A Lakewood man is in serious condition after an explosion inside a backyard detached shop, where investigators said he was making homemade fireworks and explosive devices.

The Pierce County Hazardous Device Squad, or bomb squad, was called out by the Lakewood Police Department, along with West Pierce Fire, to a property in the 6100 block of Steilacoom Boulevard Southwest in Lakewood, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy Carly Cappetto.

“They had found that a 47‑year‑old male had been making explosive devices in a detached shop on the property, when one of his explosive compounds had detonated, and that suspect had been taken to a local hospital in very serious condition,” Cappetto said.

Investigators said the man, who is both the victim and the suspect, admitted to investigators that he had been mixing black powder in a blender when the blast occurred.

“He had told our investigators that he was mixing a compound of black powder in a blender, and as soon as he turned the blender on, it immediately caused an explosion,” Cappetto explained.

Explosion shakes nearby homes in Lakewood

Multiple people in the neighborhood called 911 after hearing a loud boom and feeling the blast.

“They heard a boom or an explosion that had shaken their property or their homes nearby,” Cappetto said.

Despite the force of the explosion, officials said no one else was hurt, and nearby structures did not sustain major damage.

“We’re incredibly fortunate that nobody else was hurt or within close proximity of that shed when it exploded,” Cappetto said.

Bomb squad recovers dozens of homemade devices

The explosion caused structural damage to the detached shed, scattering explosive materials throughout the debris. The Pierce County bomb squad spent several hours carefully working the scene.

“It took several hours for the bomb squad to kind of sift through all the debris and locate all of the devices. I know they collected approximately 37 homemade [devices], almost looking like sticks of dynamite. Some had been empty, some were still full,” Cappetto said.

The case will be forwarded to prosecutors for review. Cappetto stressed that making homemade explosives or fireworks is illegal.

“This is a crime. You cannot make bombs, you can’t make homemade fireworks,” she said.

Investigators do not yet know the man’s intent, including whether he may have planned to sell the devices during the upcoming Fourth of July fireworks season.

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