New West police investigating ‘potentially explosive’ device on Ash Street

The New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) says it is investigating after an object that 911 callers believed could be an explosive device was discovered Thursday.

Police say they were called to the area of Ash Street and 3rd Avenue around 4 p.m.

“Officers rushed to the location, secured the scene, and closed the 300 block of Ash Street to all traffic,” the NWPD said.

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The NWPD says it worked with the BC RCMP Explosives Disposal Unit to move the object to a secure location. Officers were in the area for around three hours, it says.

Some residents were evacuated from their homes in a nearby apartment building “out of an abundance of caution.”

“We’d like to thank residents for their cooperation as we worked to ensure their safety,” said Sgt. Andrew Leaver.

“We treat every threat as real until we can determine otherwise. While this does cause a disruption, it’s paramount that we take steps to keep people safe.”

Anyone with any information about the device is asked to call the NWPD at 604-525-5411.

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