ATHOL — Call it a case of “if you see something, say something, but please don’t touch it.”
Chief Russell Kleber said the Athol Police Department had to be evacuated for roughly a half-hour Tuesday after a resident saw a suspicious-looking pipe with wires sticking out of one end lying on the side of the road and brought it to the police station.
The resident, who the chief said was only trying to do the right thing by alerting authorities about something potentially dangerous, was driving along South Athol Road near the Route 2 overpass at about 6 p.m. Tuesday when he observed the cardboard tube.
The resident placed the item, which measured 3 feet long and 4 inches around, in the bed of his pickup truck and drove to the Athol Police station on Exchange Street. He did not bring the device inside, but parked the truck in front of the station and told a dispatcher what he found. That triggered a set of protocols that resulted in the evacuation of the station.
The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad was notified, and the Athol Fire Department immediately responded to the scene. An investigation determined the tube was an unexploded commercial-grade firework. The fire department took possession of the device and will dispose of it safely
Fire Chief John Duguay said Wednesday that in such situations, the bomb squad is contacted to take away the item in question, detonate it and dispose of it.
The police station was reopened about a half-hour after the initial report.
During the evacuation, Athol 911 calls were temporarily routed to the Massachusetts State Police/Shelburne Control dispatch center, as is standard procedure.
The resident’s name will not be released, and he is not facing charges.
Kleber said he urges anyone who comes upon a suspicious package or device to leave it where it is, and to call 911 to ensure proper handling.
“We sincerely appreciate that this resident had the intention to make sure no children or innocent people were accidentally harmed by this unexploded firework,” Kleber said. “We want to use this situation as a reminder to everyone to always call the police if they see something suspicious, and leave the transportation and disposal to the police officers and firefighters whose job it is to deal with these situations.”