C4 explosives safely removed from Columbia construction site
Two ammunition cans containing explosive materials have been disposed of after being found at a construction site in southeast Columbia Friday morning, authorities said.
A spokesperson for Shaw Air Force Base said in a statement late Friday that members of its explosive ordnance disposal team had been asked for assistance dealing with the explosives, which were discovered Friday morning at a construction site on Fort Jackson Boulevard.
The explosive ordnance disposal team evaluated the items, safely removed them from the site and worked with local law enforcement to transport the material to a local disposal area for destruction, the Shaw AFB spokesperson said in an emailed statement
The Columbia Police Department did not respond to a request for comment about the explosives, but posted on social media Friday morning that it had confirmed the presence of C4 at the site.
C4 is an explosive used by the military and for some commercial demolitions.
In a public safety update posted on Facebook, Columbia police alerted residents they were 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, Interstate 77 and Fort Jackson Boulevard.
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 late Friday morning. “However, detonation cord and blasting caps remain the primary concern.”
Photos posted by the department showed officers gathered around a bomb squad truck and 15 sticks of explosives laid out in a dirt field.
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 1:15 PM.