BAHAMA, N.C. — A bomb squad headed to Bahama Tuesday morning after the discovery of dynamite in a residential barn.

Durham County sheriff officials said they received a call about a month ago from Jimmy Coats, who said he found two 50-pound boxes of dynamite in a barn on Ellis Chapel Road.

Coats told authorities that his father-in-law may have put the dynamite in the barn more than 20 years ago and probably forgot about it.

After finding out about the dynamite, crews took time to come up with a game plan. A bomb squad decided to douse the dynamite in diesel fuel to neutralize the nitroglycerin and burned the dynamite Tuesday morning.

"It could have been a dangerous situation if it wasn't disposed of properly," fire chief Lee Needham said.

Residents within a half-mile radius of the barn received letters about voluntary evacuations, but officials said many decided to stay in their homes.