The biggest northern border crossing west of Detroit was closed for about an hour Monday after Canadian guards found “a small amount” of explosives in a car entering the country from the United States, Canadian customs officials said.
They did not specify what type of explosives was found.
“We found a small amount of explosives in a car coming in from the United States and immediately closed and evacuated the port,” Canadian customs spokeswoman Paula Shore said.
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police bomb squad was called in to remove the explosives, Shore said.
The crossing was closed in both directions from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., she said. Officials rerouted traffic to the truck crossing on Pacific Highway, less than a mile to the east.
Mike Milne, a Seattle-based spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, confirmed the closure but declined to elaborate.
About 8 million vehicles cross at Blaine, the northern end of Interstate 5, every year.
