AHOSKIE – An incendiary device, discovered in an outbuilding located in the backyard of an Ahoskie duplex apartment on West Street, was safely detonated late Thursday night.

As of midnight, Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh did not disclose details of the incident, other than saying that his department and the North Carolina SBI are investigating the matter. No arrests have been made.

“The precautions we took Thursday night were all performed in the interest of safety for our citizens,” Fitzhugh said.

He confirmed that the residents of homes/apartments located on either side of the duplex as well as those across the street were evacuated well in advance of the detonation, which carried out by the SBI at 11:42 p.m.

“We have kept those citizens updated on the progress of the incident and fully expect to have them to return to their homes within the next hour,” Fitzhugh said shortly before midnight. “Again, I must stress that their safety was paramount, that’s why we used the measures we did to guarantee their safety.”

According to the owner of the duplex property where the device was found, the tenant there was recently evicted. The owner told the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald that he discovered what appeared to be some type of incendiary device in the outbuilding upon checking his property following the eviction, prompting him to contact the Ahoskie Police.

Fitzhugh said he will provide an update Friday morning on this breaking news.

Other than the Ahoskie Police, the Ahoskie Town and Rural Fire Department vehicles and members were at the scene along with Hertford County EMS, Hertford County Emergency Management and the NC Highway Patrol.