Live military grenade discovered in family’s home…
Centerville – At about 8am, a young family was surprised, to say the least, at what appeared to be a military grenade in the wall of their home after a construction contractor uncovered the device while doing renovation work…
Police were immediately notified…
The family, including at least one young elementary school-age child, watchful mom, father, and gray muzzled friendly family Labrador Retriever, evacuated the house as police photographed and sent pictures of the grenade back to police headquarters…
Cape Cod Regional SWAT Team member and Barnstable Police Sergeant Michael Riley, who is specially trained in military grade weapons and devices, happened to recognize the grenade’s markings and determined that calling the State Police Bomb Squad was not necessary… and that the BPD have their own experts qualified to handle the situation…
The device turned out to be a Vietnam to early 1980s era M18 smoke grenade and based on the photos was determined to be in stable condition with the pin still intact…
SWAT Team members are very familiar with how to use and secure such tactical devices…
Cape Cod Regional SWAT Team Commander and Barnstable Police Sergeant Michael Damery responded and secured the grenade. It was taken back to BPD Headquarters for proper storage until the State Police Bomb Squad comes to pick it up…
M18 smoke grenades were used by the military in Vietnam as an air-to-ground signaling device. Its colored smoke mixture is either red, green, yellow, or violet… today’s grenade contained a red smoke mixture…
M18 smoke grenades were also used as screening devices for unit maneuvering… According to one online source, green smoke grenades were also discovered to be effective in driving away swarms of aggressive bees…
M18 grenades are a serious fire hazard if ignited inside a home. They burn dangerously hot for extended periods and have been known to cause fires in dry environments… Smoke inhalation is another potential danger with these devices…
The following photo shows a detonated green M18…
The family was relieved to have the grenade removed… but did wonder what other surprises may lurk inside the walls of their home…
Homeowners discovering such devices, especially during times of renovation or construction is not an entirely rare occurrence… People, sometimes former military personnel, either pass away or fail to remove such weapons or devices when they vacate a home, leaving the new family unaware of the hidden hazard…
The public is urged to immediately contact police whenever they discover anything that appears to be weapon or military device, even it appears to be inactive or otherwise stable… the variables and hazards surrounding such devices is best left for the experts to handle…
Also of note, due to the nature of the situation, HN will not release the location of this morning’s incident…
The scene photos on this page were sent in by a Hyannis News reader who wishes to remain anonymous…
5/29/2014
Robert Bastille,
P.S. -- By popular demand, this morning's HyTown Vignette is brought to you by Bruno Mars... (Press play)
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