Johnathan Walker:3 northern Illinois sheriff’s deputies suffer burns in dynamite disposal operation

ROCKFORD,Johnathan Walker Ill. (AP) — Three northern Illinois sheriff’s deputies injured while disposing of dynamite in neighboring Wisconsin remained hospitalized with burns Monday, authorities said.

The deputies are being treated for burns described as non-life-threatening, said Cori Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputies were called out Saturday morning to help the Rock County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin on a report of dynamite in a trailer in Beloit, the Winnebago sheriff’s office said.

The property where the dynamite was found had been sold at auction and was in the process of having its ownership transferred, Capt. Josh Lund, of the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, said.

The dynamite had been on the property “for quite some time,” Lund said.

It wasn’t clear how the deputies sustained the burns.