Deceased pets, explosives found at alleged hoarder's home
WAYNE, Pa. -- An investigation by Radnor Township police into a reported hoarder home led to the discovery of hazardous materials in Delaware County.
Officials responded around 2:30 p.m. Monday to a home in a cul-de-sac in the unit block of Marlyn Road in Wayne, Pa.
"It started out as a check on the property," said Radnor Township Police Chief William Colarulo. "Like the township manager said, we smelled the odor. We don't know if it was a dead animal or dead body. That's when we made a forcible entry."
As it turns out, some of the odor may have been coming from the decomposing remains of a number of deceased pets.
Police said deplorable conditions at the home were reported to them last week.
The homeowner, 80-year-old Layton Fiering, has admitted burying more than two dozen deceased cats in the backyard, police said.
But after entering the home Monday night, authorities made an even more disturbing discovery.
Crews found rounds of munition, suspected explosives and other items emergency crews said they're not familiar with - even some dating back to the World War II era.
A bomb squad was called to the scene after police said one of the K9s trained to sniff for C-4 explosives picked up on a scent inside the home.
Residents watched from the street as crews blocked off the cul-de-sac and some neighboring streets and began cataloging hazardous materials.
"The first thing I was concerned about was whether we would need to evacuate if there were any bombs," said Janine DuSossoit.
Fiering, who said he's lived at the home for 76 years, arrived at the home as authorities were investigating.
It turns out he is a licensed firearms broker with a permit to carry weapons.
"Messy does not explode, messy is just messy," Fiering told Action News.
Police were working to piece together why Fiering had the discovered items in his home.
The home has been declared uninhabitable.
So far, no charges have been filed.
