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Pipe Bomb Found Near Belle Fourche: Before and After Detonation Pix

By caheidelberger on 2012.08.15

The Rapid City Journal reported last week that state highway workers found a pipe bomb along Highway 34 east of Belle Fourche. The Lake Herman Sanitary District's insurer sends out the following photos of the explosive device for local governments to post for their employees' edification. I figure anyone else who may be strolling along our highways may find these images useful as well.

Here's the pop-bottle-sized bomb as found, wrapped in electrical tape:

pipe bomb found on Highway 34, east of Belle Fourche, August 8, 2012
pipe bomb found on Highway 34, east of Belle Fourche, August 8, 2012

See that fuse sticking out of the right end? When you see that, step back, call the cops.

And here's the bomb after South Dakota officials detonated it:

pipe bomb, found on Highway 34, east of Belle Fourche, August 8, 2012, detonated by law enforcement
pipe bomb, found on Highway 34, east of Belle Fourche, August 8, 2012, detonated by law enforcement

And here I was just worried about hard thistles popping my bike tires. Watch out on the St. Onge run!

Published in South Dakota

caheidelberger

8 Comments

  1. larry kurtz 2012.08.15

    It's hard to know what to make of this deal: no doubt it was subjected to intense forensic analysis. The article suggested an incendiary purpose. Red flag warnings in the Hills yesterday and extreme conditions persist.

    Fascinating.

  3. Mike Armstrong 2012.08.16

    This is interesting. I imagined a steel pipe, which makes a pretty dangerous device which is intended to harm people with steel schrapnel. But it appears this "pipe" is made of glass, and may have burned up rather than exploded. Probably a bit less newsworthy than the header indicates.

  4. larry kurtz 2012.08.16

    Thanks for stopping by "Mike:" have a nice day.

  5. caheidelberger Post author | 2012.08.16

    I'm not even sure there was a glass container, given the odd shape. The suggested incendiary purpose has me wondering, too, Larry. Is al-Qaida fainlly figuring out an alternative low-cost strategy? And would they really want to stage an attack this year that might rally Americans behind the current President?

  6. grudznick 2012.08.16

    Where better for el kedas to strike than at the exact Center of North America...the Beautiful Fork.

    If you are riding from your Spearfish townhouse out to Belle and back on the days you don't ride up to IP's house, you do need to be careful Mr. H.

  7. larry kurtz 2012.08.17

    Imagine ten of these devices taped around the valves of aluminum propane bottles hoisted to the top of ten strategic hills surrounded by bug-killed trees during red flag conditions: foof....

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