A shelter-in-place order was issued Sunday in a remote mountain neighborhood in unincorporated Boulder County after a metal case containing five suspected homemade improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was discovered near a roadway.
The Boulder County Communications Center received a call just after 8 a.m. Sunday from a person who found the metal case along Ponderosa Way, a dirt road located about 4.5 miles outside the downtown area of Nederland. The individual opened the container and observed suspicious items inside that appeared to be multiple IEDs.
Boulder County Regional Bomb Squad technicians responded to the scene and identified five suspected homemade IEDs with components consistent with potentially functioning devices. Out of an abundance of caution, authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding neighborhood around noon. The order remained in effect for approximately seven hours.
Bomb technicians used a containment trailer to safely secure and remove the devices from the area, transporting them to a secure location. The shelter-in-place was lifted by about 7 p.m. Sunday evening.
A Boulder County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told reporters that investigators have not yet determined whether the devices were actual functional bombs. “You know, I don’t know the answer to that question. Honestly, don’t think our investigators know just yet,” the spokesperson said. “I think that’s the whole process of what they’re going to look at today and how they make those safe.”
The spokesperson added that the investigation is ongoing as authorities examine the devices further.
Residents in the quiet, winding mountain neighborhood expressed surprise but relative calm over the incident. One local described the reaction as more curious than fearful, comparing the rarity of such an event to unpredictable occurrences like a lightning strike or airplane incident. “Mostly it was like, you know, an airplane could strike any place on the planet. A lightning bolt could strike. Anything could happen,” the resident said. “And for something like this to happen in our neighborhood.”
The area features a dead-end road with families and children living nearby. No reports of suspicious activity along the road in the recent past were mentioned by authorities.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office advised anyone who sees a suspicious object to contact law enforcement immediately rather than investigate it themselves, emphasizing caution.
The incident remains under active investigation.
