San Diego County Sheriff says controlled burn of bomb house "couldn't have gone better"

ESCONDIDO - San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore told reporters that today's orchestrated destruction of an Escondido home containing a large cache of volatile explosives "couldn't have gone better." Destruction was accomplished by a controlled burn deemed the "only safe way" to get rid of the bomb-making chemicals. While the fire is expected to continue to smolder throughout the night, it is not expected to pose a health threat.

San Diego County public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said, "It is unlikely that there will be any related health effects associated with the fire. In general, the ash from a normal house fire does not build up in areas outside the immediate vicinity the way it might during a wildfire. It is possible homes very close to the burn site may smell smoke. While it is unlikely that neighbor will experience any symptoms, smoke can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. People who are at greatest risk of experiencing symptoms due to smoke include those with chronic lung disease (such as asthma) and/or heart disease, young children, pregnant women, and older adults." However, Wooten did advise residents to "keep your windows and doors closed overnight. Do not run any fans that bring smoky outdoor air inside. If an individual does develop respiratory problems during the night, they should seek medical care.”

A bomb squad team remotely ignited the home in the 1900 block of Via Scott in unincorporated Escondido just before 11 a.m. Heavy smoke soon poured out of the roof of the dwelling, followed by intense flames several stories high.

A few minutes later, the entire house was furiously burning, along with a few nearby patches of shrubbery, and loud popping noises and occasional blasts reverberated through the largely evacuated neighborhood just west of Interstate 15 and north of State Route 78.

Within 45 minutes, the inferno had diminished to campfire-sized flames licking the scorched pile of rubble and blackened structural remnants where the single-story house had stood.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore praised the unusual demolition, which necessitated large-scale evacuations and a highway closure, as an unqualified success.

Dozens of air-quality sensors set up through the neighborhood detected brief spikes in pollution, followed by safe conditions, officials said.

The various pops and bangs that rang out during the blaze were apparently the sounds of detonating ammunition and hand grenades that were among the illegal stockpile of weapons and bomb-making materials discovered in and around the home three weeks ago, sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said.

George Djura Jakubec, 54, who lived in the house with his wife for about four years, pleaded not guilty Monday to eight federal criminal counts and was ordered held without bail.

The Serbian native is accused of manufacturing and possessing destructive devices, as well as robbing three banks and trying to rob a fourth over the past two years. Authorities have disclosed no motive for the defendant's alleged bomb-making activities.

The charred rubble and ashes of the incinerated structure were likely to smolder through the remainder of the day, but residents of about six dozen surrounding evacuated addresses were expected to be able to return to their homes in the mid-afternoon, Caldwell said.

Authorities refrained from spraying water on the embers of the destroyed house so as to avoid washing any pollution into storm drains or surrounding soil, according to Gore.

"We're hoping the fire will just put itself out," he said.

Interstate 15, which was closed between SR-78 and Centre City Parkway about an hour prior to the fire, was fully reopened shortly after noon.

On Friday, crews will pick up some of the charred rubble to test for remaining explosive chemicals and other hazardous substances, though it was considered "highly unlikely that there's any (remaining) toxicity," the spokeswoman told news crews.

The controlled burn resulted in temperatures of 1,500 to 1,800 degrees, enough heat enough to neutralize all the dangerous chemicals discovered throughout it, said San Marcos Fire Chief Todd Newman, one of the supervisors

of the operation.

Thorough cleanup efforts at the site are expected to begin Monday.

The fire was originally scheduled to begin about 9 a.m. but was postponed to allow an atmospheric "inversion layer" to break up so the resulting smoke would billow straight up in the air before dissipating, said Robert Kard, director of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.

That best-case scenario played out, with the black plume rising some 2,500 feet before drifting away to the east, the sheriff said.

After the controlled fire got under way, Michael Martinez, who lives across I-15 from the burn site, said he was "not too worried" about his own home, though the column of smoke seemed to be headed toward it.

"I'm more worried about storage lockers nearby - that (Jakubec) might not have stored all his explosives in one place," Martinez said. "I hope investigators look into that."

The hoard of hazardous compounds - including substances often used by suicide bombers and other terrorists - was "the largest quantity of these types of homemade explosives (ever found) at one place in the United States," Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said at Jakubec's initial court appearance in the case.

Perez told a judge the defendant had turned his home into a "bomb factory."

Jakubec's alleged activities came to light Nov. 18, when a landscaper, 49-year-old Mario Garcia of Fallbrook, stepped on and detonated some type of explosive in Jakubec's back yard, suffering serious injuries.

The defendant allegedly admitted to robbing three banks as well as keeping explosives and other weapons at his home.

Investigators found at least nine pounds of unstable explosive compounds in the unkempt house, which was strewn throughout with piles of boxes, books, tools, plastic bottles, electronic components and other clutter. Much of the illicit chemical cache was in glass jars, and some apparently had spilled on the floor, officials said.

At a hearing on Wednesday, FBI special agent and bomb technician James Verdi testified that explosives were found in the home in "amounts we've never seen before" - either domestically or internationally.

A coffee table was covered with improvised detonators and chemical compounds so sensitive that even papers on it couldn't be moved, Verdi told a judge.

Federal prosecutor Rees Morgan said there was evidence of other past unintended explosions at the residence, such as blown-out windows and walls and ceilings bowed outward and upward.

The owner of the rental property reportedly will not be reimbursed by the government, although it was unclear if the loss of the house might be covered by insurance.

The discovery of the stockpile of explosives prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare the San Diego region a disaster area. On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration that allowed

authorities to torch the home.

In addition to evacuations and road closures, preparations for the burn included erecting a 16-foot-high metal-framed barrier, removing vegetation and fences that could have caught fire, and installing a portable weather station on the roof of nearby Escondido Fire Department Fire Station 3 to get real-time readings.

The elaborate operation may well wind up serving as a teaching tool for dealing with similarly acute hazardous-materials problems in the future, the sheriff said.

"If an incident like this ever happens again in the United States, this is the example they'll look to," Gore told reporters during an afternoon briefing. "This is the textbook for how to do it. Something on this scale hasn't been done before."

(previous story, Dec. 9, 2010, 2:30 p.m.)

Resident near Escondido "bomb house" will be able to re-enter area around 2 p.m .; Interstate 15 open to traffic

ESCONDIDO - The fire set to destroy a home filled with explosive materials in Escondido is still smoldering. Firefighters will allow the fire to burn out. Air pollution sensors confirm there is no danger to the community.

A Reverse 911 message for those sheltering in place is being prepared to let them know that they can now open their doors and windows. An evacuation notice remains in place. The target time for re-entry is 2:00 p.m.

Traffic Control Points remain in place around Via Scott so returning residents must show their I.D. and additional patrols will remain in the area.

(previous story, Dec. 9, 2010, 1:30 p.m.)

"Bomb house" destruction operation smolders to a finish; Interstate 15 open to traffic

ESCONDIDO - A North County home dubbed a bomb house was demolished today in a spectacular controlled burn because authorities felt that was the only safe way to get rid of the large amount of dangerous explosives found there.

A bomb-arson team remotely ignited the home in the 1900 block of Via Scott in unincorporated Escondido just before 11 a.m.

Heavy smoke soon poured out of the roof of the single-story structure, followed by intense flames several stories high. A few minutes later, the entire house was ablaze, along with nearby shrubbery, and loud popping noises and occasional blasts reverberated through the largely evacuated neighborhood just west of Interstate 15 and north of State Route 78.

Within 45 minutes, the inferno was reduced to campfire-sized flames licking the scorched pile of rubble where the house had stood.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell called the unusual demolition, which forced large-scale evacuations and a highway closure, an unqualified success.

"It's going exactly as we anticipated," Caldwell told reporters about a half-hour after the prescribed fire began. "The toxicity is gone. The air monitors said it spiked a bit (initially), but now it's gone."

The various pops and bangs were likely from ammunition and hand grenades that were among the illegal stockpile of weapons and bomb-making materials discovered in and around the home three weeks ago, Caldwell said.

George Djura Jakubec, 54, who lived in the house with his wife for about four years, pleaded not guilty Monday to eight federal criminal counts and was ordered held without bail.

The Serbian native is accused of making and possessing destructive devices, as well as robbing three banks and trying to rob a fourth over the past two years.

The charred rubble and ashes of Jakubec's former residence will likely smolder through the day, according to Caldwell. Cleanup efforts at the site will begin Friday, she said.

"It's highly unlikely that there's any toxicity (remaining at the site)," the spokeswoman said.

According to news accounts, the owner of the rental property would not be reimbursed by the government, although it was unclear if the demolition would be covered by insurance.

Interstate 15 alongside the neighborhood was shut down until noon, and residents of about six dozen surrounding addresses were told to leave their homes, while others were advised to "shelter in place" during the blaze.

The fire was originally scheduled to begin about 9 a.m. but was postponed to wait for the inversion layer to break up so that the smoke would rise straight up in the air and then dissipate, said Robert Kard, director of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District.

After the controlled fire got under way, Michael Martinez, who lives across I-15 from the burn site, said he was "not too worried" about his own home, though the column of smoke seemed to be headed toward it.

"I'm more worried about storage lockers nearby - that (Jakubec) might not have stored all his explosives in one place," Martinez said. "I hope investigators look into that."

The hoard of hazardous compounds - including substances used by suicide bombers and other terrorists - was "the largest quantity of these types of homemade explosives (ever found) at one place in the United States," Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said at Jakubec's initial court appearance in the case.

Perez told a judge the defendant had turned his home into a "bomb factory."

Authorities have disclosed no suspected motive for the defendant's alleged bomb-making activities.

At a hearing on Wednesday, FBI special agent and bomb technician James Verdi testified that explosives were found in the home in "amounts we've never seen before" - either domestically or internationally.

He said a coffee table was "ground zero" in the home, and that it was covered with improvised detonators and chemical compounds so sensitive that even papers on the table couldn't be moved.

Federal prosecutor Rees Morgan said there was evidence of other past unintended explosions at the residence, such as blown-out windows and walls and ceilings bowed outward and upward.

Investigators say Jacubek admitted to robbing three banks and keeping explosives and other weapons at his home.

Investigators found at least nine pounds of unstable explosive compounds in the unkempt house, which was strewn throughout with piles of boxes, books, tools, plastic bottles, electronic components and other clutter. Much of the illicit chemical cache was in glass jars, and some apparently had spilled on the floor, officials said.

The discovery of the stockpile of explosives prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare the San Diego region a disaster area. On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration that allowed authorities to torch the home.

In addition to evacuations and road closures, preparations for the burn included erecting a 16-foot-high metal-framed barrier, removing vegetation and fences that could have caught fire, and installing a portable weather station on the roof of nearby Escondido Fire Department Fire Station 3 to get real-time readings and ''minimize surprises,'' said sheriff's spokeswoman Melissa Aquino.

The state Department of Toxic Substances Control has agreed to fund removal of all the debris from the site except for the house's concrete slab.

Those evacuated from the neighborhood would likely be able to return to their homes sometime this afternoon or evening, Caldwell said.

(previous update, Thurs. Dec. 9, 12:15 p.m.)

"Bomb house" burn goes well; Interstate 15 being reopened

ESCONDIDO - The burn operation at 1954 Via Scott in Escondido is going on as planned, authorities say.

Active fire started at 10:50 a.m. Heavy smoke dissipated east into Interstate 15.

As expected, there were banging and popping from ammunition inside the house during the fire. Both adjacent homes survived the burn. On-scene experts say the protective firewall that was erected has worked very well. Vegetation fires on site were addressed successfully.

At 12:10 p.m. the California Highway Patrol began the process of reopening Interstate 15.

(previous update, Thurs. Dec. 9, 11 a.m.)

ESCONDIDO - The home located in northern Escondido at 1954 Via Scott is currently in the processed of being destroyed by fire in a tightly monitored controlled burn. The blaze was ignited shortly before 11 a.m.

Heavy smoke began pouring out of the roof of the single-story structure, followed by intense flames During the fire, loud popping noises and occasional blasts have reverberated through the largely evacuated neighborhood just west of Interstate 15.

Watch this site for more updates as they become available.

(previous update, Thurs. Dec. 9, 10 a.m.)

Closure of Interstate 15 now underway, will remain closed until 1 p.m .; "bomb house" to be ignited at 10:30 a.m.

ESCONDIDO - Authorities say the closure of Interstate 15 is now underway (10 a.m.) and will continue until approximately 1 p.m. today. Ignition of the fire to destroy the "bomb house" will take place at 10:30 a.m.

(previous story, Thurs. Dec. 9 9:30 a.m.)

Burning of "bomb house" delayed now until 11 a.m. today due to wind conditions; closure of I-15 slated for 10:30 a.m.

ESCONDIDO - Barring unexpected weather, an Escondido rental home where a man allegedly built makeshift bombs and stored large amounts of explosive materials will be leveled today in a tightly choreographed controlled burn deemed the only reasonably safe way to dispose of the volatile chemicals.

Authorities believe the carefully monitored fire in the 1900 block of Via Scott in unincorporated Escondido will incinerate the illegal stockpile of highly volatile chemicals without causing any detonations or unmanageable environmental contamination.

Still, residents of about six dozen surrounding addresses were directed to evacuate Wednesday evening as a safety and health precaution. Traffic control in that radius was scheduled to begin at 3 a.m, with deputies closing the area entirely three hours later, according to sheriff's officials.

Others who live somewhat farther from the doomed dwelling just west of Interstate 15 have been told to "shelter in place" during the blaze. It was originally scheduled to begin about 9 a.m. but authorities have announced that the start time has been delayed until 11 a.m. due to weather conditions.

The freeway will be shut down as a precaution between State Route 78 and Centre City Parkway for about three hours. The closure will go into effect about 30 minutes before the start of the prescribed burn.

George Djura Jakubec, 54, who lived in the now-condemned house with his wife for about four years, pleaded not guilty Monday to eight federal criminal counts and was ordered held without bail.

The Serbian native is charged with making and possessing destructive devices, as well as robbing three banks and trying to rob a fourth over the past two years. A federal indictment handed up last week alleges that Jakubec made destructive devices, including nine detonators and 13 grenade hulls, along with unknown quantities of high explosives.

The hoard of hazardous compounds - including substances favored by suicide-bomber terrorists - is "the largest quantity of these types of homemade explosives (ever found) at one place in the United States," Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said at Jakubec's initial court appearance in the case.

Perez told a judge the defendant had turned his home into a "bomb factory."

Authorities have disclosed no suspected motive for the defendant's alleged bomb-making activities.

The purported crimes came to light Nov. 18, when a landscaper, 49-year-old Mario Garcia of Fallbrook, stepped on and detonated some type of explosive in Jakubec's back yard, suffering serious injuries.

Less than 24 hours prior to the planned destruction of the cordoned-off home, a federal judge denied a last-ditch request by Jakubec's attorney to postpone the fire until items crucial to the defense could be retrieved from inside it.

Defense attorney Michael Berg said during the hearing Wednesday that his client wanted a book on mining and some graph paper with notes on it, among other things.

Those concerns notwithstanding, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns - relying on information from bomb experts and law enforcement - ruled that it would be "irresponsible" for him to allow anyone to enter the defendant's former residence when even bomb-squad members are loath to go in again.

"I frankly think it's too dangerous." Burns said.

Outside court, Sheriff Bill Gore echoed that opinion.

"I just think it's too risky for anybody to go back in there," Gore told reporters.

An FBI special agent and bomb technician, James Verdi, testified that experts entering the house found volatile explosives in "amounts we've never seen before" - either domestically or internationally.

Verdi said a coffee table was "ground zero" in the home, covered with improvised detonators and chemical compounds so sensitive that even papers on the table couldn't be moved.

At Wednesday's hearing, federal prosecutor Rees Morgan said there was evidence of other past unintended explosions at the residence, such as blown-out windows and walls and ceilings bowed outward and upward.

The defense attorney, conversely, argued that no one was ever hurt at Jakubec's residence prior to the recent accident that injured the groundskeeper.

According to court records, the defendant admitted to authorities that he had robbed three banks and kept explosives and other weapons at his home.

Investigators found at least nine pounds of unstable explosive compounds in the unkempt house, which is strewn throughout with piles of boxes, books, tools, plastic bottles, electronic components and other clutter. Much of the illicit chemical cache was in glass jars, and some apparently had spilled on the floor, officials said.

Bomb experts eventually decided that a controlled fire was the only reasonable way to dispose of the bomb-making materials, the discovery of which prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare the San Diego region a disaster area.

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration that will allow authorities to torch the home.

To prepare for the burn, crews erected a 16-foot-high metal-framed barrier covered with fire-resistant dry wall alongside it to the north. The edifice, which also will be coated with flame-retardant gel, will protect the

nearest neighbor's home, sheriff's spokeswoman Melissa Aquino said.

Additionally, workers removed shrubs, trees and wooden fences that could catch fire during the blaze.

The county Air Pollution Control District installed a portable weather station on the roof of nearby Escondido Fire Department Fire Station 3 to get real-time readings and "minimize surprises" on the day of the burn, Aquino said.

Hazardous materials experts, meanwhile, strategized on air monitoring to take place during the fire and planning for the subsequent cleanup task. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control has agreed to fund removal of all the debris from the site except for the house's concrete slab.

Sheriff's officials also have been meeting with Escondido police and firefighting personnel to plan the evacuations and traffic-control measures that will be necessary on the day of the controlled fire, Aquino said.

Those who had to vacate their homes for the prescribed burn have the option of going to a special Red Cross shelter set up at Clarke Field House Gym on the campus of Cal State San Marcos, according to sheriff's officials. Meals, cots, showers and a designated area for pets are available at the facility.

In the final hours prior to the fiery demolition, firefighting and law enforcement had a 4:30 a.m. safety briefing. At 6 a.m., deputies began door-to-door notification checks within the evacuation zone, and at 7 a.m. the Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit began preparation inside the burn home. Firefighters, meanwhile, began spraying protective gel on adjacent houses.

Residents of the shelter-in-place zone are to receive "reverse 911" calls about 8 a.m., reminding them to make sure their doors and windows are securely shut.

After 3 p.m., they are asked to check for an all-clear by calling 211, checking the incident website, http://www.sdcountyemergency.com , or tuning in to local television or radio stations.

(previous story, Dec. 8, 2010)

Judge refuses to delay tomorrow's scheduled burning of Escondido "bomb house"

ESCONDIDO (Wire Service) – Barring any legal wrangling, widespread evacuations will begin this evening around an Escondido rental house located in the 1900 block of Via Scott that authorities plan to burn to the ground tomorrow (Thursday, December 9) morning to dispose of a large illegal stockpile o highly volatile bomb-making chemicals found inside it three weeks ago.

At noon today, attorney Michael Berg, lawyer for renter George Djura Jakubec, is scheduled to ask a federal judge to halt the burning because there could be documents and other evidence in the house that could aid in his client's defense.

Exactly how anyone would go about gathering the potential evidence from the home that bomb experts say is too dangerous to enter is unclear, Berg told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Assuming the judge turns down Berg's request, residents of about six dozen addresses around the cordoned-off home in the 1900 block of Via Scott in unincorporated Escondido will vacate the neighborhood, starting at 7 p.m.

Others who live somewhat farther from the contaminated dwelling just west of Interstate 15 have been told to "shelter in place" during the blaze, which is expected to begin about 9 a.m., according to sheriff's officials.

The freeway will be shut down as a precaution between State Route 78 and Centre City Parkway for roughly three hours, starting about 30 minutes before the start of the blaze.

Authorities believe the elaborate fire-demolition operation is the safest possible way to dispose of the chemicals. The flames and heat, if all goes according to plan, will incinerate the unstable explosive compounds without causing any detonations.

And if predicted weather conditions prevail, air pollution caused by the burn will be essentially "a non-issue," according to government health officials.

Jakubec, 54, who lived in the now-condemned house with his wife, pleaded not guilty Monday to eight federal charges in the case and was ordered held without bail.

The Serbian native is charged with making and possessing destructive devices, as well as robbing three banks and trying to rob a fourth over the past two years. A federal indictment handed up last week alleges that Jakubec made destructive devices, including nine detonators and 13 grenade hulls, along with unknown quantities of high explosives.

Authorities have disclosed no suspected motive for the defendant's alleged bomb-making activities.

The purported crimes came to light Nov. 18, when a landscaper, 49-year-old Mario Garcia of Fallbrook, stepped on and detonated something akin to a land mine in Jakubec's back yard, suffering serious injuries.

The hoard of hazardous compounds - including substances favored by suicide bombers - was "the largest quantity of these types of homemade explosives (ever found) at one place in the United States," Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said at Jakubec's Nov. 22 arraignment in state court.

Perez told a judge the defendant had turned his home into a "bomb factory."

According to court records, Jakubec admitted to authorities that he had robbed three banks and kept explosives and other weapons at his home.

Investigators found at least nine pounds of highly volatile explosive compounds in the house, which is strewn throughout with piles of boxes, books, tools, plastic bottles, electronic components and other clutter. Much of the chemical cache was in glass jars, and some appeared to have been spilled on the floor of the home, officials said.

Bomb experts eventually decided that a controlled fire was the only reasonable way to get rid of the bomb-making materials, the discovery of which prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare the San Diego region a disaster area.

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration as a final step that will allow authorities to torch the home. The panel approved the measure without discussion.

To prepare for the burn, crews erected a 16-foot-high metal-framed barrier covered with fire-resistant dry wall alongside it to the north. The edifice, which also will be coated with flame-retardant gel, will protect the nearest neighbor's home, sheriff's spokeswoman Melissa Aquino said.

Workers also removed shrubs, trees and wooden fences that could catch fire during the blaze.

The county Air Pollution Control District installed a portable weather station on the roof of nearby Escondido Fire Department Fire Station 3 to get real-time readings and "minimize surprises" on the day of the burn, Aquino said.

Hazardous-materials experts, meanwhile, have been strategizing on air monitoring to take place during the fire and planning for the subsequent cleanup task. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control has agreed to fund removal of all the debris from the site except for the house's concrete slab.

Sheriff's officials also have been meeting with Escondido police and firefighting personnel to plan the evacuations and road closures that will be necessary on the day of the controlled fire, Aquino said.

Those who must leave their homes during the prescribed burn will have the option of going to a special Red Cross shelter set up at Clarke Field House Gym on the campus of Cal State San Marcos, according to sheriff's officials. Meals, cots, showers and a designated area for pets will be available at the facility.