An Austin, Texas, real estate sale became a potential public safety hazard this week after World War II-era explosives were found in a customer’s box, police said.
Police received a call Tuesday from a local resident who found suspected war-era grenades on their property, according to the Austin Police Association. The police bomb squad confirmed the grenades were live and active, meaning they contained explosive material and could be potentially dangerous.
The Police Association said squad members successfully seized and defused the devices, while officers “quickly took control of the scene, established a cordon and kept neighbors safe”, praising the bomb squad’s expertise and “steady nerves”.
“Handling 80-year-old explosives of unknown stability is a dangerous and precise job, and they did it with the professionalism the city relies on,” the association said.
Police say the situation should serve as a reminder not to touch or move military munitions, including grenades, artillery shells and mortar shells, even if they appear to be inert. Authorities say anyone who comes across such a device should leave it to a trained professional.
The discovery of unexploded military ordnance in stockpiles of antique items is not unprecedented. Families of some U.S. veterans have discovered dangerous “memorabilia” among their loved ones’ possessions, most of which date back to World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War or the Gulf War, according to the FBI.
Last year, a little boy An unexploded grenade was foundwhich also originated during World War II, on his family’s property in downtown Washington. The 3-year-old was not injured and bomb technicians defused and disposed of the device in a rural area outside the town where his family lives, authorities said at the time.