COCOA, Fla. – A half-mile residential area in Cocoa was evacuated for hours on Wednesday due to “undetermined explosives” in a home’s backyard, police said.
The home was the scene of a fire overnight, according to the Cocoa Police Department. Firefighters responded just after midnight to 330 McLeod Drive where a trailer on the property was burning. Crews said no one was home at the time of the fire.
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A patrol officer reportedly noticed a tree catch fire on the property after the main fire was doused. Investigators determined there were explosives in the backyard of the property, some of which had been “going off throughout the night” and damaging the home, police said.
“I woke up with a lot of explosions,” neighbor Wayne Noble said.
Noble, a retired Cocoa firefighter, said the explosions sounded like fireworks.
“I would say at that time in the morning, probably an accident,” Noble said. “It’s a quiet neighborhood.”
All surrounding homes were evacuated to locate all potential hazards, according to the department. Access to McLeod Drive was blocked between U.S. Highway 1 and Dixie Court to Bellaire Drive on the south and Grandview Boulevard to the north, police said.
The department shared a map of the perimeter:
All properties within the perimeter were evacuated as the scene was secured with help from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, police said.
Police directed parents toward a church where school buses would drop off children while the scene was still active.
UPDATE: scene is still active. School buses will be directed to drop off children at Central Church of Christ, 2010 N. Cocoa Blvd. Parent please pick up from this location. pic.twitter.com/WjPEcGku3b
— CocoaPolice (@cocoapolice) September 7, 2022
Police cleared the scene around 2:40 p.m. Wednesday and said residents could return home.
The fire department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
News 6 was provided the following video of the fire, courtesy of Dean Roberts.
This is a developing story, check back with News 6 for the latest updates.
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