Wareham man taken into custody for West Wareham chemical explosion
The home where the chemical explosion occurred. Photo by Bobby Grady
The home where the chemical explosion occurred. Photo by Bobby Grady
Mark Halpin, 50, of Wareham has been taken into custody for a chemical explosion at his home on Aunt Maryville Lane.
The explosion occurred the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 3 and officials remained on scene for over 10 hours investigating. Aunt Maryville Lane is a small dead-end side-road off of Route 28 in West Wareham with around seven houses on it. The road is not located far from Interstate 495.
Halpin’s home and the surrounding area showed no signs of damage from the exterior. Wareham Week editor Bobby Grady went down to the neighborhood where several neighbors said they did not know Halpin. One neighbor, who said he had lived in the area his whole life, said Halpin “didn’t bother anyone.”
Halpin is being charged with possessing explosive devices and the materials used to create them. He is being held on $15,000 bail pending his arraignment next week and additional charges may be sought.
The Wareham Fire Department, Wareham Emergency Medical Services, Wareham Police Department, State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit, additional State Police assets and Department of Fire Services Hazmat technicians responded to Aunt Maryville Lane the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 3 for a report of an explosion in a house.
According to the State Department of Fire Services, Halpin was identified at the scene and taken to a hospital to receive medical care. He was briefly released but returned to receive additional treatment for non-life threatening injuries. State Police took him into custody following his release.
The Wareham Fire Department, State Police bomb technicians and fire investigators, the Department of Fire Services Joint Hazard Incident Response Team, and FBI bomb technicians secured the site to ensure no danger to the public. They worked through the night to safely remove a large quantity of "energetic material," a substance that stores chemical energy that could be released in the form of an explosion from the residence and a nearby shed. A Department of Fire Services Rehab unit was deployed to support first responders’ health and safety.
Samples of the energetic materials were retained for testing and will be submitted to the State Police Crime Lab. The remainder posed an explosive hazard and were safely transported to a remote location, where they were disposed of without incident.
