A woman was left with severe injuries after she retrieved what she thought was a candle from the basement of her Bridgeport, Conn., home during a power outage.
Moments later, she would learn it was dynamite.
Coverage of explosives on Globalnews.ca:
The “tragic accident” unfolded on Lindley Street at about 9:20 p.m., after thunderstorms had knocked out power to homes in the Bridgeport area, CBS reported.
The woman’s family had just returned from a trip to Home Depot to buy lighting, but it was closed.
They thought that candles had been left in the home’s basement by the previous occupants, before they purchased the property two years ago, the Hartford Courant reported.
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The woman, a 30-year-old mother of two, tried to light a quarter-stick of dynamite.
But it exploded, causing injuries to one of her hands so severe that they may lead to her losing multiple fingers, Fox61 reported.
Her face was also injured; she was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital.
The Connecticut State Police’s bomb squad attended the scene along with state troopers, the state Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit, and Bridgeport’s police and fire departments.
A search uncovered yet another explosive, and it was detonated.
No members of the family will face charges because they were not aware that they had explosives in their home, the Courant reported.
Residents were reminded to keep backup lighting in their home in case the electricity should go out.