War Souvenirs Found in Basement Include Munitions

Bellows Falls, Vermont A Vermont State Police bomb squad was called to the home of a woman who found an array of WWII munitions in her basement, said to be "souvenirs" brought home by her veteran father, decades ago. She found them in a box marked with Japanese writing. Upon inspection, it was found to contain a variety of ammo, including two grenades, high-explosive mortar rounds and anti-aircraft rounds. Authorities turned the munitions over to the Vermont Air National Guard. It is believed that the munitions had been demilitarized, though one grenade was questionable.

The unidentified homeowner photographed the contents of the box and brought the photos to the Bellows Falls Police Department shortly before 1 p.m. A safety perimeter was established around the home, and nearby residents were evacuated. Several hours later the area was deemed safe and residents were allowed to return.