BY DAVE CHOATE

Resident Bernard Hendrigan was awoken by his wife, Pauline, at about 4 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6, after she heard a bang and saw sparks and small flames on the street in front of their 21 Regency Drive home.

After the noise died down, the two went back to sleep, but called police at around 6 a.m. Hendrigan and police then discovered that his mailbox was scorched and there was a soda bottle, which responding officers believed was full of chemicals.

Police recovered an improvised explosive device, or IED, and a pair of chemical-filled carbon dioxide containers from the driveways of three homes on Regency Drive on Monday.

One device was found on a vehicle in the driveway at 22 Regency Drive, which police said could have caused extensive damage.

“You may not intend to hurt  a person, but you can hurt them through their wallet by damaging their car or property,” said Bedford Detective Matt Fleming. “We’re fortunate no one was killed. The device at 22 Regency had the potential and capability to kill someone.”

Fleming said the three bombs were not remote-controlled and had to be detonated through contact, either lit or by a switch. An unsuspecting handler could unintentionally be harmed or killed.

“The reaction may not be immediate. Sometimes a bomb doesn’t go off right away and the handler will approach or touch it and fall victim to their own device,” he said. “Everybody can fall prey to these things.”

By coincidence, Fleming just returned from a Post-Blast School, hosted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, ATF, in Concord.

“It’s a classic example of why training is so important,” said Fleming. “A lot of work goes into these investigations – how do we reconstruct the scene and the bomb, who made it and how do we find them.

We’re fortunate to have resources like the ATF and bomb squad available. There’s no messing around.

These things can cause serious damage and we need to call in the appropriate people.”

Trooper Jeffrey Dade of the New Hampshire Bomb Squad said the homemade devices were carbon dioxide cartridges that had been filled with an explosive powder and gas.

“I would expect fairly severe injuries within 10 feet, and within a couple of feet it could potentially be life-threatening,” said Dade. “These were nine cartridges tied together and would deliver a lot of punch.”

He said when the state unit arrived the explosive devices were in the three driveways and his unit’s role was to “render any hazards safe,” and then hand the situation over to local police.

Hendrigan said he has no idea why he and two of his neighbors were targeted. He characterized his neighborhood as quiet and free of crime or mischief.

“We’ve had no problems with teenagers in this neighborhood. I have no idea why this occurred, but I hope (police) find out,” he said.

But whether the bombs were built by teens or adults, anyone can get information over the Internet.

“If someone is building these things in their bedroom, they could kill themselves or their family,” said Fleming.

“Parents should be aware if a teen or young kid is involved with fireworks, model rockets or if they’re constructing a lot of strange things with tubing or piping,” said Fleming.

And, if explosives, firearms or ammunition are in the home, they should be stored properly.

At about 6 p.m., Monday, Aug. 6, police were also called to McKelvie School about a suspicious-looking backpack near the entrance to the school. The object was found by an unidentified resident who was walking his dog.

The backpack was examined and rendered safe by the bomb squad. Traffic was diverted around the school for several hours.

“We don’t know if the mock device at the school and the two active devices at Regency are related, but the man made the right call to contact us and not go near it. It’s best to err on caution,” Fleming said.

Bedford Police Department is asking anyone who finds or comes in contact with any suspicious devices, to not touch the object and immediately contact the Bedford Police Department at 472-5113.

“We have our eyes wide open on this and phone calls always get us where we need to be,” said Fleming.

– Staff writer Susan Clark contributed to this story.