The police bomb squad has disposed of gelignite found in the back shed of a house in Kalgoorlie, successfully detonating it on Wednesday afternoon.
The gelignite was found about 4.20pm on Tuesday, when the homeowner was clearing his backyard in Wortley Street in Somerville.
Police were called and immediately established a cordon around the house, evacuating neighbouring houses and closing the corner of Wortley Street and Gatacre Drive.
WA Police spokesman Samuel Dinnison said the gelignite looked to be old and unstable.
But bomb response officers successfully detonated the explosives about 3.30pm on Wednesday.
A bomb robot was used to remove the gelignite but due to deterioration of the explosives, they had to be moved to a containment pit where they were detonated.
WA Police spokeswoman Susan Usher would not confirm the gelignite was most likely from the mining industry, saying the source may prove difficult to determine
