ROCK SPRINGS – A car believed blown up with binary explosives was discovered near Rock Springs on August 2.
Sweetwater County Sheriff Rich Haskell said that about 8:00 PM on Friday evening, his office received calls concerning a grass fire east of Rock Springs and south of Interstate 80 that could be seen from mile marker 110.
The blaze turned out to be a vehicle on fire. Sweetwater County Fire District #1 firefighters and deputies responded to the location, about 3 miles generally east of Rock Springs, where District #1 responders extinguished the flames.
The extent and nature of the damage to the vehicle, a green four-door 1997 Ford Taurus, resulted in the Sweetwater Bomb Squad being notified of the incident.
Squad technicians found evidence at the scene that binary explosives, an ammonium nitrate/aluminum powder mixture sold and used in exploding firearms targets, were used to destroy the car. No evidence of personal injury was found.
The Taurus’s vehicle identification number has been identified and authorities are working now to trace the vehicle’s ownership history.
The Sheriff’s Office and the Sweetwater Bomb Squad, which is comprised of specialists from the Rock Springs and Green River Police Departments as well as the Sheriff’s Office, are asking that anyone with information contact authorities. Haskell said calls will be handled with discretion.
