C4 explosives found in Columbia, bomb squad investigating
The Columbia Police Department has confirmed the presence of C4 explosives at a construction site in southeast Columbia and officers are working to collect and remove the “items of concern,” the department said Friday.
In a public safety update posted on social media Friday, the department alerted residents it was working with explosive ordnance disposal personnel at Shaw Air Force Base to secure the Cedar Terrace area.
Cedar Terrace is a residential neighborhood bounded by Garners Ferry Road and Interstate 77, across from the Shoppes at Woodhill.
A post on the Brandon Acres/Cedar Terrace Neighborhood Facebook site said sections of Woodlawn Avenue backing up to the construction site had been evacuated.
“At this time, there is no major concern with the C4 itself,” the Columbia police department posted. “However, detonation cord and blasting caps remain the primary concern.”
Photos posted by the department show officers gathered around a bomb squad truck and 15 sticks of C4 laid out in a dirt field. C4 is an explosive used by the military and for some commercial demolitions.
Columbia police could not immediately be reached for comment, but posted on Facebook at 11:20 a.m. that officers and Shaw explosive ordnance disposal personnel were moving back into the area to remove “items of concern.”
Once those items had been safely removed, the department wrote, teams would collect and remove all remaining materials from the site.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.