ROWLEY — A man using a metal detector Thursday in the state forest off Route 1 uncovered a box of explosives that authorities say had been buried there for years.
The explosives, including a box TNT, were found in a metal container near the Newbury town line, prompting the man to call Rowley police about 2:30 p.m., acting Chief Stephen May said in a release. The container also included a small amount of plastic explosives, he said.
The explosives appeared to have been in the ground for “an undetermined number of years,” the release said.
Rowley police and the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad responded to the woods and destroyed the explosives in a series of three blasts.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI also responded. The Rowley Fire Department and Action Ambulance assisted.
No one needed to be evacuated since the box was found in a remote part of town far from homes and businesses
Due to the age of the explosives and how long they were buried, authorities determined that no further investigation was needed.