Bomb squad detonates explosive found in Terra Ceia

TERRA CEIA, Fla. (FOX 13) - MANATEE COUNTY (FOX 13) - The Manatee County Sheriff's Office detonated an explosive device that was found behind a man's home on Saturday.

Terra Ceia resident Marcus Campion called deputies after he found a capped PVC pipe in the mangroves behind his home on Horseshoe Loop Road. Campion wouldn't say how he found it, but deputies said when Campion found it, he cut open the pipe with a chainsaw and noticed a brown powder inside.

“They were very professional and courteous and efficient," Campion said. "The Manatee County bomb squad and the FBI came and took control of the situation and it was a done deal."

Investigators found the device to be a real explosive. They took it to a farm off Buckeye Road and detonated it between 12:30 and 1 a.m. Sunday. According to MCSO, it is believed this type of explosive device was used many years ago when the channel around Terra Ceia Bay was formed.

Several residents reported waking up to a loud boom.

"It completely shook the whole concrete block house and the windows," Zachary Bonds said. "It knocked some pictures off the walls."

No one was injured in the blasts. It's unclear if there are any more devices like it out there, but if you come across one you are asked to call the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.