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Police in Ohio are investigating the circumstances of a man who died in an explosion after a neighbor alleged he was making bombs in his garage in order to pay for his lawnmower.
On May 22, the Plymouth Fire Department and Ashtabula County were called to Jefferson to deal with a fire resulting from an "unknown type of explosion". A man was believed to be trapped inside the garage when police arrived on the scene.
"The detached garage located behind the residence was burned to the ground and debris was scattered into the neighbor's yard," Ashtabula County Sheriff William R. Niemi described the scene in a statement.
The fire was put out, and the 55-year-old man described as a "victim/suspect" was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Following the incident, police attempted to determine the cause of the explosion.
"A neighbor told deputies that the victim was making the explosives in his garage to sell so he could pay off a lawnmower he recently purchased," the police said.
The type of explosives that were being manufactured, who he intended to sell them to, and why he didn't try selling lemonade before working his way up to improvised explosives is not known.
The case has been referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for investigation due to the severity of the incident, and the intention to sell the weapons.
