West Penn Township police and the Reading Bomb Disposal Unit diffused a volatile situation Friday in a remote area of the community.

Residents along Arrow Road were cleaning up along the berm when they discovered vials of an unknown chemical substance. They reported their findings to the West Penn Township police, who quickly alerted the Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency.Agency coordinator John M. Matz examined the findings at the scene and requested the Reading Bomb Squad to join the investigation. Within an hour, the squad, along with an explosive-sniffing dog, found several hundred 8-inch vials of KinePak sticks along the west berm of the dirt road just north of Archery Club road.KinePak is a two-part explosive which must be mixed with a second chemical to be explosive. It has been used in the United States for over 30 years.The Reading unit removed the sticks from the scene and are expected to meet with agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms next week to further examine the sticks and their illegal disposal.