Dog Digs up Mortar in Charleston Backyard

Charleston, South Carolina A dog is being called a hero from his owner after digging up a WWI-era UXO in the yard of a North Charleston home. The North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) responded to a residence after a caller said his dog, Arthur, dug up what appeared to be a mortar.

Arthur's owner, Vincent Webb, said, "He came out, went to the bathroom, and started digging. When he started digging, I went over and looked at it, found out it was a World War I artillery shell."

Area residents were evacuated while the Charleston County Sheriff's Office bomb squad and Joint Base Charleston EOD worked to secure the ordnance. The specific identification of the mortar was not reported.

"This guy right here is basically my life and he saved his dad's life," Vincent told reporters. "All the times I dig out here because I have a garden here, I never knew it was there. I could have hit it with my shovel and detonated it. I'm just glad the hero here found it."

Editor's note - the bomb squad did not release the exact type of ordnance - it was likely a WWII item as the area previously served as a WWII era practice range.

WWII ERA UXO Uncovered on Polish Construction Site

Krakow, Poland WWII ordnance was found near Krakow, leading to an evacuation in the area. The 110-lb device was found during construction work in the heart of Wieliczka, a town near Krakow, in southern Poland near the Czech border. Local police issued a statement confirming that the UXO was "a very dangerous find."

County Police Headquarters in Wieliczka received a report that construction workers had hit the ordnance by accident when they came across it. Police said, "Residents often find dangerous objects such as these during works or during trips to the forest. Most often they date back to WWII."

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Garden Find

Herne Hill, United Kingdom Construction workers working on an addition to a residential property ran into ordnance while digging the foundation for a kitchen expansion. One of the workers, a builder from Romania, was the first to find the ordnance. He reportedly lifted them out of the ground with his bare hands before brushing the dirt off.

Authorities were called to respond after the workers alerted the homeowner, a 42-year-old mother of two. When bomb disposal personnel confirmed the ordnance was live, they sent police door-to-door to evacuate the neighbors.

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WWII Bomb Explodes on German Construction Site Injuring Four

Berlin, Germany Four people were injured when a WWII aircraft bomb exploded at a worksite near Munich's busy main train station during construction drilling for a new tunnel. According to the Munich fire brigade, one of the people was seriously injured.

The area was cordoned off and explosives experts were summoned to the site to examine the remains of the bomb, the fire brigade said. The blast causes suspension of rail travel to and from the main train station, according to rail operator Deutsche Bahn.

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WWII Artillery Shell Found on Construction Site

Wrexham, North Wales Workers on the site of a new housing development in Wrexham notified North Wales Police, Ministry of Defence (MOD) and an ordnance expert after discovering a potential UXO during construction.

In a statement from police, residents in the area who reported hearing a large boom similar to a fireworks explosion were assured, "We had a report of an unexploded device. The EOD attended and conducted a controlled explosion."

The MOD confirmed, "We can confirm the Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from Chester Troop, 521 Squadron, 11 EOD Regiment RLC was called out to attend an incident at a building site in Wrexham yesterday. Upon inspection the item was found to be a 105mm shell and was safely detonated in situ this morning at 08.14hrs."

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WWII UXO Leads to Large-Scale Evacuation in German City

Furth, Germany An American WWII air bomb was discovered in the German town of Fürth, prompting the evacuation of over 1,200 residents and employees in a 300-meter radius, according to city officials.

The dud bomb, which weighed around 225 kg, was discovered on a construction site west of Fürth, a town near the city of Nuremberg.

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Hurricane Churns up UXO, Depositing it on Florida Shoreline

Indian River County, Florida A woman walking on a Florida beach found a WWII-era landmine and another historic ordnance (type not reported) near the St. Lucie County line. After reporting the suspicious find, local officials contacted Patrick Air Force Base EOD for technical support as they evacuated the area.

EOD removed the ordnance for proper safe disposal. The area were the ordnance was found once served as the Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base which operated from 1943 to 1946. The USACE carried out a removal action in the area in 2019 but authorities suspect that the recent finds washed ashore from hurricane Larry.

Utility Contractors Find WWII Era Bomb

Derbyshire Village, United Kingdom workers from the Western Power Distribution company laying new utility lines made an explosive discovery when they found a WWII era bomb in Earl Sterndale. EOD was called out to investigate and respond to the find.

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Allied Bomb Found at Austria Construction Site

St. Valentin, Lower Austria Construction workers uncovered a WWII era Allied bomb during excavation at a construction site near a former Nazi tank factory. Experts removed the rear detonator from the 1,100 pound bomb before it was relocated for disposal.

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WWII UXO Leads to Large-Scale Shutdowns

Goole, England A UXO found on the building site of a new housing development forced the evacuation of eight homes and the closure of portions of roadway M62, according to Humberside Police. EOD were called following the discovery of the 500-lb WWII device and confirmed it was live.

Road closure were set up on both east and westbound lanes of the M62 to allow the team to prepare for detonation of the device.

A no-fly zone above the area was also imposed. People living or staying in the wider immediate area were asked to stay indoors, and businesses within the cordoned area were closed until the bomb could be rendered safe. The find also led to the cancellation of Goole's park run which had been rescheduled following months of being placed on hold for COVID restrictions.

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