RANGELEY — Two grenades and ammunition from the World War II-era were found Wednesday in a house on Loon Lake Road and detonated by a Maine State Police bomb/explosives unit, Fire Rescue Chief Michael Bacon said Thursday.
The house had been vacant for several years. Neighbors told fire officials that the former owner, who had since passed, served in World War II.
The new owner of the house was doing some renovations and found the grenades and M1 bullets for a rifle bandolier in a Prince Albert can in a cabinet. He brought the can outside to get a better look at what was in it, Bacon said. He called 911 about 1:38 p.m.
He was instructed to leave the can and to back away from it.
“We arrived on scene and determined by a quick glance that it warranted a look by state police,” Bacon said. The grenades appeared to be old and weathered and did not appear to be fake or training grenades. Rangeley Police Department also responded.
Photos were taken of the contents and sent to a state police trooper in the bomb unit.
Two troopers arrived and it was determined that the grenades did appear to be active, Bacon said.
The grenades were wrapped in tape and put in a special bomb containment bag, he said.
After getting permission from an owner of a shooting range off Morton Cut-Off Road, a rural area, the bag was taken there and the grenades were detonated with dynamite.
The place was chosen because of concerns about shrapnel, Bacon said.
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