ORONO, Maine — Bangor’s bomb squad was called to Orono Sunday afternoon to deal with a hand grenade with a live primer, just two days after a rusty old grenade was removed from Lamoine Beach, Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards said Monday.
A person cleaning a Forest Avenue residence “found a grenade that was drilled out,” Edwards said. “It was a dud grenade, but it still had an active primer.”
Bangor’s bomb squad went to Orono at about 3:25 p.m. and removed the hand grenade.
The rusty grenade and its firing pin were spotted Thursday afternoon a few inches apart from each other at Lamoine Beach, a popular spot at the end of Route 184 that overlooks Frenchman Bay, Stu Marckoon, Lamoine’s assistant fire chief, said Friday.
By the time the beachgoer alerted town officials, who then called Maine State Police, the tide had come in and covered the spot where the grenade had been seen.
The Maine State Police bomb squad went to Lamoine around noon Friday to remove the rusty war relic, which was deemed harmless because the hole in the top of the grenade casing, where the firing pin mechanism had been, was packed with sand from the beach. (Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN)
BDN reporter Bill Trotter contributed to this story.
Good job Bangor PD.
Just wait until some of the returning college kids discover the new fireworks store in Old Town. How many smaller legal firecrackers or mortars make one big illegal explosive?
6 gallons of gas and a lighter are a lot more fun.. anyone can make a “big ” boom so whats your point? want to shut down gas stations too?
Give it a few weeks and we’ll discuss this further.
Based on all the previous posts by westshores about fireworks, I think he probably does.
Or gun powder… or one of the many recipes based off chemicals found in the cleaning closet and a quick trip to rite aid…
I have a small cannon , 8oz takes 13 seconds to splash back down into the lake…but- WHAT A SOUND! , anyone have westshores address? lol ;-)
Nothing like the war souvenirs military men bring back from war. Some of them remain dangerous for generations afterward. But for some of them, it is hard to give up having explosives around. After alltheygot taught allsorts of waystoblow things up, but then it is socially unacceptable when they get home.
The world is definitely upside down. Call in the bomb squad because someone found a dud grenade and allow the sale of fireworks and fuel to anyone with cash which, when combined, are far more dangerous and destructive and no one blinks an eye. And yes I know the primer was live but the primer has roughly an equal amount of explosive energy as some firecrackers. Go figure.
The next time you see a hand grenade laying on the ground just pick it up and examine it. Who needs the bomb squad.
PS grenades are bombs, so the bomb squad is appropriate.
I see logic is not one of your strong points. You missed the statement completely. Try asking those who have lost parts of their bodies to firecrackers, let alone those who have suffered horrendous burns due to inattention to detail.