UPDATE
An object discovered in Beacon Hill Park on Sunday that was thought to be a pipe bomb was in fact a sealed-off sprinkler head, part of a defunct watering system.
The object was discovered at 2 p.m. Sunday by municipal workers in the area around the tall totem pole. A sniffer dog was brought in but no explosives were detected.
Then the RCMP bomb squad investigated and determined that the pipe was part of a harmless watering system.
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Original story
Victoria police have cordoned off an area around a suspicious pipe off Dallas Road in the Beacon Hill Park area that they believe might be an explosive.
“It’s kind of consistent with a pipe bomb, but we don’t know for sure,” Staff Sgt. Tom Sawyer said Sunday evening.
The object was reported about 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, he said. It was found along Dallas Road, near the tall totem pole at the base of Beacon Hill.
Part of the pipe is in the ground. Sawyer guessed, based on a photo, that it is about 60 centimeters long.
“We’ve had our explosives dog come check it out, and we’ve got a member of the department with special training. He’s assessed it as well,” Sawyer said. “Based on that, we’re calling experts from the Lower Mainland.”
The RCMP explosives disposal unit was tentatively expected to arrive Sunday night.
Two officers were to guard the site overnight, keeping the public away, if the RCMP officers were unable to arrive before Monday morning.
“If we need to, we’ll have people there all night,” Sawyer said.
