“Bomb Factory” Property Prepped for Demo

Preparations are underway to destroy a North County home, where investigators found the largest stockpile of explosives in U.S. history.

Crews will begin cutting back trees and brush around the property on Via Scott in unincorporated Escondido Wednesday.

On Tuesday officials announced they plan to burn down the home, saying it was the best way to get rid of the dangerous materials inside.

Some residents in the area will be ordered to evacuate or ordered to stay home with the doors and windows closed the day of the fire.

Authorities hope to burn down the house late next week. Deputies aim to begin after the morning commute around 9 :30 a.m. sometime between Dec. 8 -10. That all depends on the weather - particularly the wind. When this happens, Interstate 15 will also be shut down.

Using the reverse 911 system, deputies will alert homeowners in the surrounding neighborhood to evacuate about 24 hours ahead of time.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in San Diego County to help finance the operation.

The bomb-making materials were discovered Nov. 18 after gardener Mario Garcia, 49, was injured while working in the back yard of the home.

Images taken by bomb techs inside the home show the hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, or HMTD in containers and on the floor.

A local chemistry professor said the explosive materials found inside Jakubec’s home are most commonly used by terrorists to build bombs.

It is extremely sensitive to light, shock, or friction, according to officials.

North County resident George Jakubec, 54, faces 28 criminal counts, most related to possession of explosives connected to what was discovered on the property. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in San Diego County jail on $5 million bail.

No motive has been revealed concerning why Jakubec had been stockpiling the explosives.
 

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