NASELLE — A woman was seriously injured after an improvised explosive went off in her hand last Wednesday evening. The grisly incident happened on Sept. 11 at 7:04 p.m. on State Route 401 at milepost 8.

The Pacific County 911 Dispatch Center received a call stating a female’s arm had been partially blown off. The caller also noted that the injuries appeared to be from a gunshot wound.

Units from the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office, Naselle Volunteer Fire Department, Medix and the Washington State Patrol responded to the scene.

Purported details about the incident have circulated on Facebook over the past week in two different posts, with one alleging that someone had sustained gunshot wounds to the face and arm and the other detailing a witness account of the aftermath.

“I stopped for a man that was frantic on the side of 401 just after I got off the Astoria bridge,” a witness said in one of the posts. “Smoke was coming from his cab, [and] when I got to them, she was in the passenger seat with her hand blown off, like literally.”

The incident transpired when a 1999 Ford Ranger, driven by a 45-year-old male with a 45-year-old female passenger, was traveling on SR 401. The female lit an improvised explosive and attempted to toss it out the passenger window and it immediately went off.

The blast hit the female in the face and arm, including blowing her hand almost completely off. It was reported that her hand was only held together by a few strands of flesh. The injuries are stated to be “extensive” and “gruesome.”

She was transported to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria in serious condition. She remains hospitalized, and there has been no public update on her condition.

The improvised explosive is said to have been a “sparkler bomb,” in which multiple sparklers are taped together. The sparklers quickly ignite once lit, and due to lack of space between them the pressure is blasted outward.

The sheriff’s office seized other material from the vehicle, stated to be commercial grade fireworks.

The WSP Bomb Squad was involved and has referred the case to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms due to the nature of the incident.

Investigators were able to get the driver’s side of the story but have been unable to speak with the female due to her condition.