Explosion on property once targeted by animal rights activists

July 28, 4:57 PM
Patricia TenEyck
Portland Examiner

Early this morning, explosions rocked Henry Pelto awake on his property east of Astoria. Oregon

"It was a huge explosion and it rattled the whole house," Pelto said. "And it kind of rattled the whole neighborhood. And after that, there was some muffled booms and then a couple of shotgun-loud booms."

The explosions and resulting fires destroyed a boat on the property, melting the fiberglass hull, and also set fire to the Pelto's sedan.  Toward the back of the property, in a barn, two forklifts and a small end-loader were also damaged.

Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators along with detectives from the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office carefully searched the site for evidence.  However at this point no one will say if it is a case of vandalism, arson or an accident.  And there has been little speculation as to why.

In 2008 the property was the scene of vandalism as an animal rights group crept onto the property - then an operating mink farm - and released almost all of the mink into the surrounding forest.  The mink farm shut down in December and now even the barns and sheds where the mink were caged are gone.

"We've torn up all the sheds out of here and everything so it really was senseless," Pelto said.  He added that he was glad he had been watering the property the night before the explosions.  Maybe it helped limit the damage.

For more information, please see KATU's website, http://www.katu.com/news/local/99446414.html