There are moments in journalism when a routine story takes a turn that makes you sit up straight in your chair. This is one of those moments.
Contractors working on what they thought would be an ordinary home renovation in Ollala, Washington, got considerably more than they bargained for this week when they stumbled upon a case containing ten live military-grade hand grenades packed with TNT. The discovery triggered an immediate response from local law enforcement and military explosive ordnance teams.
The find occurred in Kitsap County, a rural area where such discoveries are thankfully rare but not unheard of given the region’s proximity to military installations. The workers, demonstrating the kind of clear-headed thinking that likely prevented a tragedy, immediately contacted the property owners. Those homeowners, who were not residing at the residence during the renovation work, promptly dialed 911.
What happened next reads like something from a military procedural. Deputies from the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office arrived first, conducting an initial inspection before calling in the specialists. State bomb technicians were alerted, and authorities took the prudent step of temporarily closing the road near the property. When you are dealing with explosives, there is no such thing as being too careful.
The explosive ordnance disposal team from Naval Submarine Base Bangor joined the operation, bringing their specialized expertise to bear on a situation that required the utmost precision. Their assessment confirmed what the initial responders suspected: these were not replicas or deactivated training devices. These were genuine military-issue grenades, fully functional and packed with TNT.
Inside that single case, technicians found not just the ten grenades but also blasting caps and additional explosive devices. The kind of arsenal that raises serious questions about how it came to be hidden away in a residential property.
The military team from Naval Submarine Base Bangor secured and seized the grenades. The state bomb squad handled the remaining explosives, ensuring that every dangerous item was properly accounted for and removed from the property.
According to authorities, the homeowners had recently purchased the property and had absolutely no knowledge of the cache before the contractors made their startling discovery. This detail is crucial because it transforms the story from one of potential criminal negligence into a genuine mystery. Who left these explosives there? How long had they been hidden? And perhaps most importantly, were they forgotten relics of a previous owner with military connections, or something more sinister?
The investigation continues, but this incident serves as a stark reminder of the unexpected dangers that can lurk in the most ordinary of places. It also highlights the importance of proper training and quick thinking. Those contractors could have easily decided to handle the situation themselves or dismissed the grenades as harmless antiques. Instead, they made the right call, potentially saving lives in the process.
For now, the explosives are in proper custody, the road has reopened, and one renovation project in Kitsap County has a story that will be told for years to come.
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