An Ontario police department is warning residents not to bring unexploded military munitions to the station after a woman walked in carrying a live World War II grenade, according to the NY Post.
The incident happened at an Ottawa-area Ontario Provincial Police detachment, where officers said a resident arrived with the decades-old explosive after finding it while cleaning out her basement.
The Post writes that the 77-year-old woman was immediately told to leave the grenade outside the building as a precaution.
Police later said the device was secured until the Canadian Forces’ explosives team could safely remove and dispose of it.
Officials used the incident to remind the public that unexploded ordnance can remain dangerous even after sitting untouched for decades.
“You don’t know what condition they’re in, whether they can still explode,” Ontario Provincial Police spokesperson Michael Fathi told the Ottawa Citizen. “You don’t want to take a chance.”
The department stressed that anyone who discovers old grenades, bombs, shells or other military explosives should never transport them.
Instead, residents are urged to leave the item exactly where it is, keep a safe distance and call local police, who will arrange for an explosives disposal unit to handle it safely.
“This could obviously prove extremely dangerous to the person bringing the item and others around,” the department warned.