July 2, 2020 11:30 a.m.

A believed explosive device was found in a burned vehicle after a fatal wreck, which closed Highway 101 in coastal Douglas County on Wednesday morning.

Captain Tim Fox of Oregon State Police said the OSP Explosives Unit rendered the device safe. Fox said the device was “bigger” than illegal fireworks.

An OSP report said at about 10:45 a.m. a deputy from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle which was headed south, south of Reedsport. The driver fled and the vehicle eventually crashed a few miles later. The driver died in that fire. Fox said the deceased was the lone occupant.

Fox said it might take awhile to identify the deceased, due to the fire.

That wreck closed both directions of travel on the highway for around five hours as the Explosives Unit and other investigators dealt with the scene.