Public Safety

Escondido Bomb-House Burned, Toxic Testing Begins

By Gloria Penner / Senior Political Correspondent, Megan Burke / News Editor, Ed Joyce / Reporter

Published December 10, 2010 at 1:37 PM PST

This story was published more than 14 years ago.

Escondido Bomb-House Burned, Toxic Testing Begins

An unusual safety operation took place yesterday in Escondido. County sheriffs, multiple fire agencies and the bomb squad torched a house filled with explosive material too dangerous to remove. Dozens of homes around George Jakubec's rented house on Via Scott were evacuated, and a section of Interstate 15 was closed for hours. Joining me now with more on the story is KPBS Environment reporter Ed Joyce.

Transcript

This is a rush transcript created by a contractor for KPBS to improve accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Please refer to the media file as the formal record of this interview. Opinions expressed by guests during interviews reflect the guest’s individual views and do not necessarily represent those of KPBS staff, members or its sponsors.

NEUTRAL SAFETY OPERATION TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY. MULTIPLE FIRE AGENCIES AND THE BOMB SQUAD TORCHED A HOUSE FILLED WITH EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL TOO DANGEROUS TO REMOVE. DOZENS OF HOMES AROUND VIA SCOTT WERE EVACUATED. A SECTION OF I-15 WAS CLOSED FOR HOURS. JOINING ME WITH MORE ON THE STORY IS ENVIRONMENT REPORTER ED JOYCE. IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH THERE IS SOME BACKGROUND HERE WE SHOULD HAVE ABOUT HOW THE EXPLOSIVES WERE DISCOVERED.

IT WAS DISCOVERED IN NOVEMBER. LAST MONTH A LANDSCAPER WAS WALKING IN THE BACKYARD OF THE RENTED HOME ON VIA SCOTT. THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION THAT CALLED ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE. FIRE OFFICIALS CAME OUT. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS CAME OUT. THEY DISCOVERED UNSTABLE EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS IN THE RENTED HOME.

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DO WOE KNOW ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE PERSON?

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LANDSCAPER WAS DOING THERE?

TELL US ABOUT THE CHEMICALS. ARE THESE COMPLICATED CHEMICALS? OR EASY TO GET?

SOME COULD BE MADE USING STARTING MATERIALS OFF THE SHELF. SOME ARE USED IN MEDICAL APPLICATIONS. THAT HOME WAS SO CLUTTERED AND FILLED WITH SOLVENTS, ACIDS AND CHEMICALS, SUCH A CLUTTERED HOUSE, ALMOST AN EPISODE OF HOARDERS THAT OFFICIALS DETERMINED IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO GO THROUGH EVERYTHING AND REMOVE THE CHEMICALS.

THAT'S AN AMAZING DECISION. THE DECISION TO SAY WE NEED TO BURN DOWN IT OTHER THAN CLEAR IT OUT.

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THEY FIGURED IT WAS THE SAFEST AND BEST WAY TO VAPORIZE THE HIGHLY UNSTABLE COMPOUNDS. ONE WORKS IN A FRICTION WHERE YOU COULD STEP ON SOMETHING, AS THE LANDSCAPER DID IN THE BACKYARD, AND IT WOULD EXPLODE.

I UNDERSTAND SOMEBODY ELSE STEPPED ON SOMETHING AND GOT A BURNED FOOT. I GUESS VERY VOLATILE. HIS ATTORNEY FILED AN APPEAL TO STOP THE BURN FROM HAPPENING. HE WAS CONCERNED THERE WOULD BE EVIDENCE INSIDE THAT MIGHT WORK TO THE DEFENSE'S CASE. WHAT DETAILS WERE DISCUSSED IN COURT THAT LEAD TO THE JUDGE'S DECISION TO CONTINUE WITH THE BURN ANYWAY?

THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY SAID THERE MIGHT BE DOCUMENT OR OTHER MATERIALS IN THERE THAT WOULD HELP HIS DEFENSE OF HIS CLIENT. HE MENTIONED A MINING BOOK OR DOCUMENTS AND OTHER THINGS. THE JUDGE DETERMINED, ALONG WITH HAVING HEARD TESTIMONY FROM THE BOMB ARSON FOLKS, THAT IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS GO IN THERE IF THERE WERE ANY DOCUMENTS TO RETRIEVE. HE SIDED WITH THE EXPERTS AND RULES IT WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AND IT DIDN'T.

HEADLINES WERE COAST-TO- COAST SAYING THE BURN WAS HAPPENING. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE?

ONCE IT KICKED IN IT BURNED IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES. THE HOUSE STRUCTURE WASN'T DOWN IN 30 MINUTE . THE COME POINTS VAPOR RISED IN 20 MINUTES.

THERE WAS CONCERN AHEAD OF TIME THERE MIGHT BE PARTICULATES IN THE AIR. SOME TOXIC MATERIAL. WHAT ARE THE AUTHORITIES DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TOXIC CHEMICALS WERE DESTROYED.

THEY HAD CHEMICAL DETECTORS SPREAD AROUND THE AREA. STAFFERS WERE THREE MILES AWAY MONITORING THE AIR. THEY SAID THE CHEMICAL MONITORS SHOW HAD THE THE POLLUTANTS IN THE AIR WERE LOWER THAN NORMAL FOR THAT TIME OF DAY PRIMARILY BECAUSE I-15 WAS CLOSED SO WE DENT HAVE CARBON MONOXIDE EMISSIONS FROM CARS.

YOU SPOKE TO SOMEONE WHO GAVE YOU A BACKGROUND ON THIS.

THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT IN SAN DIEGO SAID IT WAS LOWER THAN NORMAL EVEN.

THE ACCUSED RENTED THE HOUSE. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE OWNER AND THE LIABILITY THERE?

WELL, APPARENTLY THE HOMEOWNERS OUT OF LUCK. MOST INSURANCE POLICIES, PROPERTY INSURANCE POLICIES HAVE EXCLUSIONS. EMINENT DOMAIN DOES NOT APPLY HERE. ONE EXPERT SAID THERE IS A RECOURSE OF GOING TO A CALIFORNIA VICTIM'S COMPENSATION FUND FOR SOMETHING THAT INVOLVES HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. THE HOMEOWNER IS OUT OF LUCK. THE MAN IS IN JAIL FACING FEDERAL CHARGES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

Public Safety

Gloria Penner

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KPBS remembers Gloria Penner, Senior Political Correspondent and host of "KPBS Midday Edition- Roundtable" on Fridays at noon. Gloria was the host "San Diego Week" from 2008-2011 and also hosted the first hour of KPBS Radio's "These Days" from 1995 to 1999. She served as the host of KPBS TV's "Full Focus" from 2003 to 2007. Gloria first joined KPBS Television in 1969 as director of community relations. Subsequently, she oversaw production of television programs for nine years. From 1993 to 1995, she was the host and writer for "KPBS Weekend Edition," a locally produced television program featuring highlights from the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. National credits include reporting and producing assignments for "Nightly Business Report" and the "MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour." She played an active part in KPBS’ election coverage for 30 years. She has moderated scores of town hall meetings on candidates races and propositions for KPBS, "Envision San Diego," and the League of Women Voters. She conducted scores of interviews with congressional, state and local candidates; and reported for television documentaries on issues and candidates. Her awards include 7 Emmys, 5 Golden Mikes, 2 Gracies from the American Federation of Women in Radio and Television, The San Diego Press Club’s Harold Keen Award for excellence in journalism, the John Swett Award from the California Teachers Association, and many honors from the Society for Professional Journalists and the San Diego Bar Association. An annual Gloria Penner Award for Civic Service was established in 2003 by the League of Women Voters of San Diego County, and Gloria was the first recipient. Gloria earned her bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. She did graduate work in English at New York University and earned her Master’s Degree in English from Syracuse University. She started her radio career in San Francisco in the 1950s as an associate producer on a program called Housewives Protective League. Her first job in television came after a move to Washington, D.C. where she was associate producer of the Washington segment of the "Today Show." After a stint in Hawaii and a return to Washington, D.C., she relocated to San Diego and took a few years off for family life. Gloria is survived by her husband Bill Snyder of La Jolla; two sons, Brad Penner of San Diego and Steve Penner of Tucson, Arizona.

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Megan Burke

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Megan Burke is an Emmy-award winning news editor overseeing the environment, health, and racial justice and social equity reporting beats. Prior to her current role as editor, Megan spent more than a decade as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition, a daily radio news magazine and podcast. Other news production credits include KPBS Evening Edition, KPBS Roundtable, and San Diego’s DNA, a two-part documentary highlighting the region’s oldest traditions and culture using personal artifacts and oral histories of San Diegans.

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Ed Joyce

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Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

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