POCATELLO — Multiple roads were shut down and numerous houses were evacuated Monday after what was thought to be dynamite was discovered in the garage of a north side home.

In the end, after the Idaho Falls bomb squad and a bomb-sniffing dog were deployed to investigate, it was determined the alleged dynamite sticks were actually a few harmless pipes.

The Pocatello Fire Department confirmed around 8 p.m. Monday that the dynamite was not dynamite. All the roads around the garage in the 1900 block of Cottage Avenue were subsequently reopened and the evacuated residents were allowed to return home.

The incident began to unfold around 3 p.m. Monday when Pocatello police received a call from the residents who found the alleged dynamite in their garage. Police immediately evacuated and closed the 1800 and 1900 blocks of Cottage and also shut down nearby Highway 30 and Philbin Road as a precaution.

Police feared that somehow the dynamite might detonate. The Idaho Falls bomb squad responded to the scene and began investigating around 7 p.m. Monday.

The bomb squad determined that the dynamite sticks were actually some short steel pipes. A bomb-sniffing dog was later deployed and confirmed that the garage contained no explosives.

Bannock County Search and Rescue also responded to the incident to assist police in shutting down the roads around the garage.

The emergency responders set up an incident command post at Wilcox Elementary School and prepared for the worst.

The Pocatello Fire Department reported afterward that based on the residents’ description of the alleged dynamite, authorities were convinced the explosives were real.