WWI-Era Round Found In Bel Air Home's Flower Bed, Safely Disposed By Bomb Technicians
BEL AIR, Md. (WJZ) -- A team of bomb technicians safely disposed of a World War I era round Wednesday evening found outside a Harford County home.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives responded to home in the 2600 block of Calvary Road in Bel Air after homeowners Kelly and Shannon Thomas found the round while working on their flower bed and called the sheriff's office.
After examining the device, technicians determined it was best to conduct an emergency disposal of the potentially dangerous round on scene.
The unexploded military ordnance was determined to be a 37 MKI projectile and it was determined it had not been fired, and the fusing mechanism was still intact.
There's a long history of military testing in Maryland, most notably at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and although unexploded military ordnance are found in the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waters occasionally and sometimes come ashore, officials say it's not uncommon to find WWI and WWII-era ordnance in other areas of the state.
These devices pose the same threat as the day they were originally manufactured, officials said.
"Recognize that any suspicious objects found should not be touched under any circumstances. Retreat or carefully leave the area. Report immediately what was found and the approximate location to a 911 dispatcher," said Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci.
