After several weeks of planning, the San Diego sheriff's department, ATF , and other authorities began a controlled burn of the so-called "Bomb House" in Escondido. The home came under scrutiny on November 18, when landscaper Mario Garcia stepped on an explosive device in the yard. He sustained injuries to his chest, eye, and arm. Investigators stumbled upon a home that was packed with bomb-making chemicals, hand grenades, and other explosives.
Bomb squad specialists recognized immediately that the home was too dangerous to enter, and authorities made the choice to burn it all down. Fox News reports that more than 50 agencies collaborated on the plan to execute a controlled burn. After extensive preparation (nearby residents were evacuated, interstate 15 was closed, and a 16-foot wall was constructed around the property), authorities began the burn at around 11am this morning.
Suspect George Jakubec, a naturalized American citizen from Serbia, has pleaded not guilty on charges of explosives possession and bank robbery. ABC News reports:
"Jakubec's lawyer had asked a judge to stop the demolition of the house so the defendant could retrieve 'papers, journals and other items in the house that may help [him] prove his intent or his mental state. A judge ruled that the destruction could move forward, however, after an FBI bomb technician testified that Jakubec's backyard was a 'minefield' and that a bomb tech walking in the yard had stepped on something that made a loud pop and burned the bottom of his shoe."
Jakubec was renting the home, and the LA Times reports that the homeowner will not be compensated by the government for its destruction.