10 Homes Evacuated in La Jolla After Old Dynamite Is Found

Sixty pounds of unstable dynamite was found under a La Jolla house Thursday, forcing the evacuation of 10 neighboring homes as police and firefighters worked to neutralize and remove the explosives.

Fire Department officials said an old wooden crate containing 30 2-pound sticks of dynamite was found under a house in the 1900 block of Torrey Pines Road about 3:30 p.m. by plumbers who were helping to renovate the structure.

Officials said the dynamite, which they believed to be quite old, could either have lost its potency or could cause a worse explosion than when it was fresh.

They estimated that the dynamite could destroy an area the size of a city block. Experts were still working to remove the dynamite from the site late Thursday night.