Lower Lake highway reopens after suspicious device found

A suspicious device left in front of a Lower Lake business Wednesday that forced the closure of a stretch of Highway 53 for hours apparently was road flares taped together, a Lake County sheriff’s official said Wednesday.

The highway was reopened just after 2 p.m. after the Napa County sheriff’s bomb squad blew up the device and officials determined it hadn’t been explosive.

The device, which looked like an improvised explosive, was found about 10:30 a.m. in front of the business, sheriff’s officials said. Deputies closed a nearby stretch of Highway 53, cleared people from the area and redirected traffic.

Because it was detonated, the exact device wasn’t clear, but deputies believed it had been road flares taped together, officials said.

-Randi Rossmann