‘We escaped a real tragedy’: Man charged after improvised explosives lab discovered in Philadelphia

A man was charged after a makeshift, improvised explosives lab was discovered in the basement of his home in Philadelphia’s Mayfair section last week.

“We escaped a real tragedy on this one,” said Deputy Commissioner James Kelly with the Philadelphia Police Department. “We would have lost the entire block at a minimum.”

Police say neighbors called 911 after seeing smoke coming from the home on Montague Street Friday night.

After firefighters went inside and discovered the explosives, they called police, investigators say. Counter-terrorism officers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were called to the scene as well.

According to investigators, 27-year-old Evgenii Sadrislamov was manufacturing explosives in the basement inside of a makeshift lab.

Read more: 6 ABC