LARGO - The Florida State Fire Marshal's Office bomb squad was called in to help dispose of five containers of ether that had crystallized Nov. 23 at Smith & Nephew, a wound management product development company at 11775 Starkey Road.
The 120,000 square foot facility has been working with a skeleton crew of approximately 13 workers since the company ceased operations on Sept. 25.
Last week five containers of crystallized ether were discovered in a refrigerator. This material is considered to be highly explosive – similar to approximately one pound of C4.
“The facility administrator immediately took proactive steps to ensure the safe removal and disposal of the product,” said Seminole Fire Rescue District Chief Greg Smith. “A unified command system was established consisting of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fire Marshal's Bomb Squad, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and The City of Seminole Fire Rescue Department.”
The bomb squad's remote controlled robot was sent in to remove the containers from the refrigerator. The crystallized ether was then transported in a bomb disposal container to the Pinellas County Waste Management site on 28th Street and detonated safely.
