Ross Mackawgy said he was sorting through the belongings of his recently deceased mother and stepfather, Ruth Mackawgy-Fish and Harry Fish, at the house when he came upon what appeared to be multiple bundles of dynamite sticks, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Tuesday.

Mackawgy phoned the authorities and a Hernando County sheriff's deputy ordered him to leave the home while he sent for a Citrus County bomb squad.

Authorities suggested neighbors also leave their homes and a bomb squad robot was sent into the house to gather up the suspected explosives. The red sticks were tested and found to be harmless road flares.

Officials said Mackawgy was right to phone the police.

"It did look suspicious," said Heather Yates, media relations coordinator for the Citrus Sheriff's Office. "Really, truly, it did look like a bomb."