Officers from the South Lake Tahoe office of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to US 50 and Pioneer Trail Wednesday morning after a citizen reported a possible bomb laying in the roadway.
Upon arrival they observed what appeared to be some type of explosive ordinance in the road and called in the El Dorado County Sheriff’s bomb squad. The roadway was shut down temporarily for public safety according to a post on the CHP Facebook page.
The responsible party for the device arrived on scene almost immediately. The suspicious pipe was in fact a sewer cleaning nozzle left by a cleaning company.
The roadway was re-opened and no one was injured.
CHP-South Lake Tahoe wants the public to know what to do if they see an item believed to be an explosive as its much better to be safe than sorry:
Bomb threats or suspicious items should ALWAYS be taken seriously. A suspicious item is any item (e.g., bag, package, vehicle, etc.) that is reasonably believed to contain explosives, an improvised explosive device (IED), or other hazardous material that requires a bomb technician and/or specialized equipment to further evaluate it.
1. Remain calm.
2. Do NOT touch, tamper with, or move the item.
3. Notify authorities immediately.