More than four hours after being called to a vacant home in Old East for what appeared to be a man-made explosive, London police have determined the device was not a bomb.
A cleaner found the device at a house at 820 Princess Ave., which has been vacant for roughly one month, when he arrived there around 9:30am on Tuesday.
The Explosive Disposal Unit was called to the scene, while residents of neighbouring homes were asked to remain indoors as a precaution. Princess Ave. between English St. and Ontario St. was also closed.
"I can tell you that the device is quite small," said Constable Sandasha Bough.
The bomb disposal robot was sent into the home to examine the device before police detonated it. Just before 2pm, a loud bang, like a gun shot, rang out from the normally quiet street as the device was detonated.
Investigators determined the device was not an explosive after examining its remains. However, officers would not say what they believed it to be or speculate on how it got there.
"The officers still need to continue on with the investigation," said Bough. "They are going to need to enter that residence, look around inside and determine whether or not there is anything else in there."
For neighbours who were not happy being cooped up for several hours, Bough stressed why police treat all suspicious devices as potential explosives.
"It's definitely a scary situation for anybody. We don't know whether a device is explosive and we need to definitely treat every one like it is an explosive device because there is the threat to public safety," said Bough. "Public safety is paramount, so first and foremost we need to ensure that everyone is safe."
The owner of the home was on scene but declined to comment.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
