Wareham Man Arrested After Home Explosion, Explosives Seized

WAREHAM (WBSM) — A Wareham man faces charges after an explosion at his home on Friday.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services announced that Mark W. Halpin, 50, was taken into custody last night and held on $15,000 bail pending his arraignment next week.

Halpin is charged with possessing explosive devices and the materials used to create them. The Department of Fire Services also said he may face additional charges as well.

Details of the Explosion

An explosion occurred at Halpin’s home on Aunt Maryville Lane in West Wareham early in the afternoon on October 3. It drew a response from the Wareham Fire Department, Wareham EMS, Wareham Police, the Massachusetts State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, additional state police assets, and Department of Fire Services Hazmat technicians.

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Medical Status and Arrest

Halpin was found at the scene and taken to the hospital for treatment. He then briefly left the hospital before returning for treatment of injuries that the Department of Fire Services said were not life-threatening.

Following his release from the hospital, he was taken into custody by Massachusetts State Police.

Investigation and Evidence Seizure

A team of investigators made up of the Wareham Fire Department, state police bomb technicians, the DFS Joint Hazard Incident Response Team, and FBI bomb technicians then secured Halpin’s property to make sure there was no danger to the public.

“They worked through the night to safely remove a large quantity of energetic material from the residence and a nearby shed. A DFS Rehab unit was deployed to support first responders’ health and safety,” according to the DFS. “Samples of those materials were retained for testing and will be submitted to the State Police Crime Lab. The remainder posed an explosive hazard and were safely transported to a remote location, where they were disposed of without incident.”

The DFS provided no further information about the nature of the explosion or the “energetic materials,” a term used for explosives, discovered on Halpin’s property.