The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Ottawa recently issued a public warning urging residents not to bring unexploded World War II grenades to police stations for disposal, following an incident where a woman brought such an item to the detachment.
The 77-year-old resident discovered the grenade while cleaning her basement. Upon bringing it to the Ottawa OPP Detachment, she was advised to leave it outside the building as a safety precaution.
"You don’t know what condition they’re in, whether they can still explode," Michael Fathi of the OPP told the Ottawa Citizen. "You don’t want to take [a] chance."
Police officials emphasized that transporting potentially explosive military ordnance can be extremely dangerous for both the individual carrying the item and those nearby. The department secured the grenade and awaited its removal by the Canadian Forces Explosives Disposal Unit from Petawawa.
Authorities advise that if an unexploded ordnance is found, it should be left undisturbed, and local police should be contacted immediately. The police will then arrange for their Explosives Disposal Unit to safely handle and discard the item.