Fortuna Police Department press release:

On 10/20/2017 at approx. 8:06 pm, Fortuna Police Department received a call from a resident in the 300 block of 10th Streetreporting a suspicious device found on her back porch. The residence described the device as something resembling a “Pipe Bomb”. The resident advised she has never seen the device before and is concerned as to what it may be and how it ended up on her back porch.

Officers arrived at the residence and were informed that the resident’s son had moved the device from the back porch and placed it in the front carport area of the residence. Officers viewed the device and determined it to be constructed of a PVC pipe, capped on at least one end and wrapped in paracord and duct tape.

Due to the suspicious construction of the device and it’s resemblance to an explosive, the resident was advised to leave the home and wait at a neighbor’s house. Neighboring residents were also informed of the circumstances and advised to shelter inside their homes until the device was properly removed.

The Humboldt County Sheriff Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team (EOD) was contacted and responded for removal of the device. Using a radioed controlled robot, the device was removed from the carport and safely destroyed nearby. Upon examination of the contents of the device, it was determined not to be an explosive, but rather a homemade container used to carry survival items such as waterproof matches, a fire starter and an emergency blanket.

After speaking with the resident, it was discovered that her husband had recently left for a hunting trip and must have left the item on the porch.

Fortuna Police Department would like to thank the Humboldt County Sheriff and the members of the EOD team for their assistance with this incident.