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A resident of Austin, Texas, recently found five live World War II-era grenades inside boxes purchased at an estate sale — prompting an urgent police response.
The unusual discovery was announced by the Austin Police Association (APA), which represents Austin police officers, earlier in October.
In an Instagram post, the APA said the resident purchased several boxes at the estate sale and discovered what appeared to be WWII-era grenades while going through them.
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“APD’s Bomb Squad confirmed they were live and active,” the post said.
Austin Police Department (APD) officers secured the scene and established a perimeter to protect nearby residents while awaiting explosives specialists, according to the association.
The Austin Police Department’s Bomb Squad recently recovered five live grenades after a resident discovered the military explosives while sorting through an estate sale purchase. (@austinpoliceassociation via Instagram)
The bomb squad recovered five grenades, according to Sgt. Issa Kafena, the supervisor of the APD Bomb Squad.
Kafena told Fox News Digital that, though officers could not determine exactly when the grenades were manufactured, they appeared to be about 80 years old.
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The buyer seemed to recognize the potential danger and contacted authorities.
“I believe the person was former FBI, so [they] immediately kind of took precautions to make sure everything was safe, called 911, and patrol responded and then immediately called us,” he said.
The Austin Police Department’s Bomb Squad safely recovered and destroyed five live grenades discovered inside boxes purchased at a local estate sale. (@austinpoliceassociation via Instagram)
Despite their age, Kafena — who did not personally respond to the incident — warned that the grenades still posed a danger.
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“All ordnance … there’s an inherent danger to any and all of it, especially if it’s military ordnance,” Kafena said.
“It’s designed to hurt and kill people.”
“We go all over the central Texas area for calls like this fairly frequently.”
He added that the grenades could have injured someone had they functioned as designed.
Though the APA described the incident as an “unusual call,” Kofina said discoveries of old military explosives are not entirely unheard of by authorities.
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“It’s more common than you think,” Kafena said.
The officer said the bomb squad handles over 400 deployments annually, including approximately 150 to 175 call-outs, many of which involve discovered military ordnance or equipment.
Five World War II-era grenades found in boxes purchased at a Texas estate sale were still live despite being approximately 80 years old, police said. (@austinpoliceassociation via Instagram; Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“In this region, we cover 8,400 square miles in the 10-county capital area of government’s region,” he said. “And we go all over the central Texas area for calls like this fairly frequently.”
Once the grenades were recovered, bomb squad officers safely disposed of and destroyed them, Kafena said.
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Above all, Kafena urged anyone who discovers old military explosives to leave them undisturbed and contact authorities immediately.
“If you ever find it, don’t touch it, call 911 immediately and have the bomb squad come out and help address the situation,” he said.
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The Austin discovery is not the only recent case of military ordnance turning up in unexpected places.
The Austin Police Department’s Bomb Squad handles more than 400 deployments annually, including approximately 150 to 175 call-outs, according to authorities. (@austinpoliceassociation via Instagram)
Last fall, a father and son unexpectedly discovered more than 150 World War II-era artillery shells while metal detecting in a Czech forest, prompting a two-day bomb squad operation.
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This fall, TSA officers discovered a spent smoke grenade concealed inside an aerosol container in a passenger’s carry-on bag during a routine security screening at an airport in upstate New York.