Escondido bomb house set on fire; smoke rising [Updated]

 

After a final thumbs-up from meteorologists and bomb experts, authorities used a remote-controlled device Thursday morning to set fire to a house on the outskirts of Escondido containing massive amounts of bomb-making material.

The fire was set about 10:57 a.m. upon the order of San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.

Bomb squad specialists from local and outside authorities said a quick, hot fire should destroy the dangerous materials without explosions.

[Updated at 11:15 p.m.: Officials said the fire is going exactly as planned: burning very fast, no big explosions, with a large plume of black smoke rising directly overhead and then drifting east, as expected. They said the fire could burn one to three hours. 

"This, so far, is perfect," said Robert Kard, director of Air Pollution Control District of San Diego County.]

To help the fire reach temperatures of 1,800 degrees or more, holes were bored Thursday morning in the roof of the one-story home on Via Scott to provide the fire with the oxygen needed to burn quickly. The normal house fire is about 1,200 degrees, fire officials said.

A 16-foot wall was built between the home and its closest neighbor. A fire-retardant gel was spread Thursday morning on the wall. Vegetation was cut to keep the fire from spreading. Two fire departments are standing by.

Initially, officials had hoped to start the fire at 9 a.m. Wednesday. That was delayed until Thursday because weather specialists were concerned about overcast and wind patterns. The rescheduled time of 9 a.m. Thursday was delayed for similar reasons. Overcast could keep the smoke from drifting away.

A series of explosives experts have said that burning the house is the best alternative and that returning into the house to remove the chemicals, which are the same as those used by terrorist bombers, would be too dangerous. The house is so stuffed with materials and other bric-a-brac that walking amid the explosives was nearly impossible, officials said.

The first sign that the plan was about to be executed was the shutdown of nearby Interstate 15 about 10 a.m. If all goes as planned, the freeway will be reopened in early afternoon, officials said.

Meanwhile, George Jakubec, 54, the tenant who had lived in the home for three years, remains in federal prison in downtown San Diego on bomb-making and bank robbery charges.

He is being held without bail; he has pleaded not guilty. His attorney has said he would like to apologize to neighbors for the disruption caused by the discovery.

Emergency declarations by the county and by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have allowed officials to destroy the house as a threat to public safety. The owner will not be compensated, officials said, and is reportedly in negotiations with his insurance agent.

Neighbors closest to the home were asked to evacuate Wednesday night. Neighbors outside a 250-yard radius were told how to "shelter in place" by shutting windows and doors.

Officials from the local air quality district are monitoring the air in the region to detect any potential harmful effects.

RELATED:

Explosives-laden house near Escondido set to be torched Thursday

Judge rejects request to delay planned burning of accused bomber's home

Accused bomb-maker's attorney wants court to delay burning of home

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Fox 5 San Diego

Comments

[doubting thomas]

Sounds like they might just be destroying the evidence that there wasn't that much evidence to begin with. This should make for one hell of a court trial.

[Toppacio Rodriguez]

I do not understand why they would take that choice, I mean honestly why would people blow up bombs. There are other measures to solve on problem, even if the scientist said it was too dangerous. Exploding explosives just seems to dangerous for air and seems it might contaminate everything. If experts would of gone in and tried deactivating or cleaning up the chemicals with nutral base chemicals I am sure things would not have gone to drastic measures. The freeway would not have been closed down or anything. If George was making the bombs and is supposidly a terrorist why is he put into the San Diego prison is there no specail place for terrorist?

[chickenwaffles]

This person hasn't been CONVICTED, how is this legal? Guilty until proven innocent??

[sailbyme]

If I were the defense attorney I would be preparing my appeal now.

[Tarena]

I think the order to bomb the house was too quick and should have been delayed to thoroughly way all available options. It's kind of interesting when the person has not yet been trialed to be found guilty and yet majority of the things to be used as evidence has been destroyed. I thought one is not guilty until proven guilty. In this case are we really abiding the laws?
I agree with Toppacio when she raises the issues about the environment and climate. Could there not have been any other way to destroy these bombs rather than polluting our environment further? What kind of gases are these bombs composed of? What damaging are they to our human system and environment. I think they should have instituted proper security measures to prevent people form having access to the place whiles they find the appropriate solution to the problem.

[patrickhenrypress]

He must be an natural-born bank robber to a) get away with it 3 times when your profession is software engineering, and b) make off with enough loot to cover the rent on THAT house.

Not to mention his expensive hobby.

So we are to believe an unemployed software engineer from Serbia afforded that house and went about purchasing large quantities of bomb-making equipment all by his lonesome? No one thought anything about a fellow, likely with a foreign accent, accumulating this stuff in Escondito? Like, the sellers?

Who was it that thought nothing of selling this stuff to this guy? Why wasn't this recorded and reported to the authorities? Or did he allegedly steal it all?

Wow. An unemployed software engineer/bank robber/potential weapons thief? You'd think a guy would need a lot of training to pull something like this off, crazy or not. I wonder what he did for a living back in Serbia...

This has the makings of an awesome trial. I'm stocking up on popcorn!