Cleaning out a house turned into anything but a routine task in Lexington.

Among the items discovered in the house, previously occupied by a chemist, included picric acid, a highly explosive chemical, dozens of bottles of liquids, powders, and solids as well as radioactive material.

Some of the concoctions were old, degraded, and unstable. There was no indication of criminal activity. 

“These materials could not be left in place and had to be carefully and methodically removed for safe disposal. Our priority at every step was the safety of community residents and our first responders," Fire Chief Derek Sencabaugh wrote in a statement.

Among the agencies that assisted Lexington firefighters included the state oplice bomb qsuad, an FBI special agent bomb technician, the DFS Joint Hazard Incident Response Team and the state Department of Environmental Protection.

State Fire Marshal Jon Davine wrote that the incident wasn't that unusual. “It often involves family members who find military ordnance after a veteran passes away. This was a much more complex scenario. It required patience, precision, and a high degree of technical skill."

Bomb technicians carefully transferred the explosive and unidentified substances from the home to a Lexington Department of Public Works truck filled with sand. They were transported to a remote location, where they were destroyed without incident.

A licensed radiological contractor took custody of the radioactive substances for safe disposal, and a private clean-up company took the remaining materials.

An EMS crew monitored the crews operating at the incident.