Explosion rocks Bellona area, no injuries

Yates County 911 received report of a suspicious incident reporting a loud explosion in the Bellona area on Sunday. Sheriff’s deputies, troopers, OEM and Bellona and Benton Volunteer Fire Departments were activated and EMS was on standby. A community alert was issued via reverse 911 due to calls on the incident inundating the emergency communications center. At 9:55 pm investigation revealed that a group of teens in a wooden area near Bellona had set off an explosion by igniting an excessive amount of a substance brand called Tannerite. Instead of using a small amount a large quantity was ignited causing the load explosion that shocked and disturbed the Bellona Town of Benton area. No one was injured in the incident. Tannerite is legal to possess and is the brand name of a binary explosive marketed primarily for making exploding targets for firearms practice. It is a patented combination of ammonium nitrate (an oxidizer) and aluminum powder (a fuel) that is supplied as two separate powders that are mixed and shaken to produce an explosive.The incident is being investigated as a Disorderly Conduct case which is a violation of the NYS Penal Law and the Sheriff’s Office expects to make arrests soon for the unreasonable noise and community disturbance.