Air Force bomb squad detonates military ordnance found in Eureka brush clearing

Brush clearing on a Eureka property turned up two ammunition boxes filled with suspected smoke grenades and other suspected live military ordnance, setting off a sheriff-led response on the 2600 block of Pigeon Point Road. Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at about 9:58 a.m. on June 30 after the resident found the items while clearing brush.

Deputies secured the area. The items were later safely removed, and the Air Force Bomb Squad joined the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office in detonating the ordnance.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is the lead public-safety agency for this kind of incident, and the sheriff serves as Director of Emergency Services for the operational area. The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services coordinates emergencies and disasters affecting residents, infrastructure and government operations, and the county’s emergency operations plan is built for multi-agency incidents that require coordinated response.

Old military debris can still surface during brush clearing, grading or construction, especially on land with a long history of logging, fill, or past disturbance. Anyone who uncovers suspected ordnance should back away, keep others clear, and call law enforcement. The item should not be moved, opened, kicked aside or tried as scrap.

On April 2, 2019, the sheriff’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team was sent to a Trinidad residence for possible military-grade ordnance. In 2022, HCSO EOD handled a live antique military ordnance discovery in Eureka, and in 2023 deputies identified a Vietnam-era military submunition near Scotia and rendered it safe on scene.