Fire Fighting Efforts Hindered By UXO

Kaho'olawe Island, Hawaii The Maui Fire Department reported that a fire has scorched approximately 4 square miles of the former U.S. Navy bombing range. Crews were reluctant to battle the fire on the ground due to the potential for UXO across the island. Although a partial clearance was completed in the 1990s, it was limited to about 65% of the island (surface clearance) and about 10% subsurface.

The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRK) reported that the fire burned a restroom facility and a few vehicles but otherwise did not damage the 26 buildings or the base camp area.

Ordnance Found on Lava Field

Big Island, Hawaii A civilian exploring the lava fields of Mauna Loa found an the aft end of an ordnance sticking out of the lava. Wondering if the ordnance had gone through the wall of the lava tube, the man entered the tube and saw the front end protruding through the ceiling.

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Father and Son Magnet Fishing Grenade Find

Stamp End, United Kingdom A 50-year old man and his 13-year old son pulled a hand grenade from the River Soar while magnet fishing. The two instantly recognized the potential hazard from previous UXO finds while magnet fishing and notified police.

Police, an Army EOD unit, paramedics, firefighters and other agencies responded to dispose of the hand grenade identified as a Mills grenade. A controlled detonation was carried out along the riverbank as the item was reportedly too dangerous to move.

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Following the incident, the father posted his find on Social Media with the following comments: "It could have killed someone! We pulled out a live WW2 mills grenade. The bomb squad usually take grenades away to somewhere quiet and carry out a controlled explosion. When the bomb squad examined and x-rayed our grenade they deemed it to be too unstable to move. The grenade could have exploded at any time!! The grenade had to be blown up at the side of the river where it was found. Nearby homes had to be evacuated for safety."

WWII Munitions Wash Ashore (Again)

Pacific Beach, Washington Police responded to reports of at least 10 rounds of WWII ammunition washing ashore. Police confirmed the ordnance was of military origin and contacted the EOD team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord for technical assistance.

EOD safely disposed of the munitions which included 20mm rounds (exact nomenclatures not reported). Following the incident, the local police searched the immediate are for other ordnance but none was found.

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WWII Era Bomb Found At Construction Site

Soho, United Kingdom Construction workers notified police after discovering an unexploded bomb during excavation activities.

The police responded and evacuated the area as an Army EOD team was called in for technical support. EOD identified the item as a 500kg WWII era bomb (specific type not reported).

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UXO Found On Schoold Grounds

Kent United Kingdom A school and surrounding buildings were evacuated after UXO was found by construction workers updating the playground. Parents were called to pick up their children from Crockenhill Primary School as police put road closures in place.

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Ordnance Found In Basement

Charleston, South Carolina An ordnance item was discovered by a group of electrical workers who were beginning a job in an empty building on Gillion Street in Charleston. The suspect item was found in a corner of the basement.

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BlogCFC was created by Raymond Camden. This blog is running version 5.5.002.