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Dynamite found in fridge of Main Line home

Police and fire officials responded to a Main Line home Monday morning after dynamite was found in a refrigerator.

The Lower Merion Township Fire Department received a call Monday from family members of a recently deceased man who were cleaning out his home and came across about 10 sticks of dynamite, said township spokesman Thomas Walsh.

Walsh said officials were asking some neighbors to evacuate their homes Monday afternoon as the Montgomery County bomb squad removed the dynamite and searched the home.

"They're going to remove it safely and take it somewhere where they could detonate it safely," Walsh said. "As to why it's in the refrigerator, obviously we don't know that."

The home, on Laurel Lane in the township's Haverford section, belonged to Ritner E. Walling, according to property records. Walling died last month at age 81, and his death notice published on philly.com said that he is survived by his nieces and nephews.

Walsh said police, a bomb squad, and fire personnel were expected to spend at least four hours Monday afternoon removing the dynamite and taking it to a safe location in Delaware County to detonate.