Explosive device damages mailbox at Fallston post office in Harford County

Investigators look inside a mailbox outside of the Fallston post office that exploded Sunday morning. (Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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A U.S. Postal Service mailbox was damaged Sunday in Fallston by an explosive device put inside it, fire officials said.

Damage to the large blue steel mailbox at the post office in the 2400 block of Watervale Road was discovered by a passerby around 7:35 a.m. Sunday, according to the Maryland fire marshal’s office.

“Someone dropped an unknown explosive device in and it exploded inside. And it caused a fire as a result,” Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Bruce Bouch said.

The blast blew out the bottom of the mailbox and the front panel, he said. It was not clear when the device was put inside the mailbox.

Members of the fire marshal’s bomb squad collected evidence at the scene — what was left of it, Bouch said — to determine what, specifically, was put inside the box and to try to determine who may have done it.

“We collected the remains. We still don’t know exactly what the device was, but it was probably an illegal firework of some sort,” he said.

“What fire there was burned itself out,” Bouch said. “Luckily, from the looks of it, there probably wasn’t all that much mail inside.”

Damage to the mailbox is estimated at $1,000. Damage to the contents is unknown.

The Harford County sheriff’s office, postal police and the postal inspector’s office assisted the fire marshal’s office in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the fire marshal at 410-859-7152.

Bouch said his office doesn’t investigate many calls like this.

“This time of year, all the stupidity happens. The young ones come out — it’s just a nuisance,” he said.

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