A fire at a rowhome in Mayfair last week led authorities to discover a lab where a man was allegedly making powerful homemade fireworks and other explosive devices, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
Firefighters went to the property on the 7100 block of Montague Street around 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 4 in response to a report of smoke at the two-story rowhome, police said. Once the fire was extinguished, investigators obtained a search warrant to enter the home and found hazardous chemicals, fuses and about 50 pounds of explosive devices in the basement. Neighboring properties were evacuated during the investigation.
MORE: Conjoined twin boys, born last year with a shared liver, successfully separated by CHOP surgeons
The chemicals and explosives could have caused a major blast if they had been ignited, police said.
"You would have lost the entire block, at a minimum," Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner James Kelly said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. "It was an extreme hazard to everyone on that block."
Evgenii Sadrislamov, 27, was arrested and charged with multiple offenses. Items recovered from his home included M-1000s, also known as quarter-sticks of dynamite, and numerous chemicals and materials used to make incendiary devices, police said.
Investigators have not yet determined a motive behind the production of the explosives.
"There were materials and devices you would use in making improvised explosive devices. ... There's more than just fireworks, for sure," Kelly said. "Much more advanced than just fireworks."
The materials taken from the home have been sent to a lab in Maryland to be analyzed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The district attorney's office said Sadrislamov's record includes a 2020 arrest for possessing commercial-grade fireworks. He pleaded guilty to criminal mischief charges and was placed on probation.
"There is a difference between what he possessed in 2020 and what was discovered (Friday)," Assistant District Attorney Angela Brennan said. "Specifically, investigators and our partners in ATF, bomb squad and Homeland Security all agree that there has been a clear escalation in the sophistication and scale of the operation."
Sadrislamov is charged with felony counts of arson, possessing weapons of mass destruction and causing catastrophe, in addition to multiple misdemeanor offenses. He remains in custody with bail set at $950,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22.