Police say the amount of dynamite stolen from a Paradise rock quarry this week could destroy a vehicle or even a building.

Twenty-five pounds of explosives and 35 detonators were taken during a break-in at City Sand and Gravel on Topsail Road some time late Monday or early Tuesday.

In a statement, RCMP explosives expert Andy Langille said that much dynamite "would totally destroy a vehicle and most likely a building, depending on its size and construction."

Police say the theft is a concern for both the public and the thieves.

The company uses dynamite to blast stone.

Manager Larry O'Keefe said the explosives are extremely dangerous, even when handled by someone who knows how to use them.

"It's more important to retrieve the product than it is to find the culprits at this time," said O'Keefe. "Our concern is that someone may inadvertently get injured, but also that it could be used in a criminal nature."

The thieves broke in through the side of a metal storage container where the explosives were kept.

"It doesn't have a wick on it as people would normally think of dynamite in the old movies and that, but it's very similar in size," said O'Keefe, adding the amount stolen could fit into a backpack.

Police are asking anyone who might have information about the theft to call them or Crime Stoppers.