Sheriff probes explosives

Who placed blasting caps in water and why remains unclear, but officials are confident the harbor is safe.The Orange County Sheriff’s Department continued to investigate the discovery of several explosive devices in Huntington Harbour last week.

Divers have finished searching the water, but questions still remain about how and why the explosives got there.

Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said divers and investigators feel comfortable that there is no danger in the harbor and that all explosives have been removed, though they did not recover three blasting caps that were reported.

“We thoroughly searched every square inch of that place,” he said.

The investigation began Jan. 11 after biological researchers from Merkel and Associates, based in San Diego, reported seeing six to eight blasting caps in the harbor near Bonaire Circle a day earlier. Divers from multiple federal, state and local agencies spent the day searching the water, recovering six blasting caps.

The biological researchers returned to the harbor early Thursday to complete their water quality survey when they spotted three more blasting caps and a metal device reading “danger impact explosive.”

Amormino said divers recovered four of the metal devices, which turned out to be railroad flares, Jan. 12 but have yet to find the three blasting caps. He said it is unknown whether the person responsible for putting the railroad flares in the water is the same person who placed the blasting caps.

“It appears the railroad flares have been in the water longer than the blasting caps,” he said.

Investigators said the blasting caps were intentionally placed in the water, but they don’t know why.

“They definitely were not in the water by accident,” Amormino said.

The caps, which are about the size of cigarettes, were spotted because they were attached to brightly colored wires about 10 feet long.

Amormino said the caps had been in the water for 24 to 48 hours, as indicated by the lack of corrosion to the wires. He said investigators do not believe the incident was terrorism-related.

The type of caps found are usually attached to larger explosive devices used by miners. Amormino said none of the six caps recovered were attached to any larger device. Each cap contains more explosive powder than an M-80 firework, he added.

The caps do not pose a threat to homes or yachts in the area, but they could be dangerous to anyone swimming in the water.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM covers education and public safety. She can be reached at (714) 966-4625 or lindsay.sandham@latimes.com.

Orange County Sheriff Investigator Steve Garrison carries a box containing blasting caps that were discovered in the waters off Bonaire Circle in Huntington Harbor on Wednesday. 20060119it9he5ncKENT TREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)Keith Prinzing, a diver with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, hands a blasting cap to Investigator Steve Garrison in the waters off Bonaire Circle in Huntington Harbour on Jan. 12.