Military ordnance found in Eureka yard prompts bomb squad response

Two ammunition boxes holding suspected smoke grenades and other suspected live military ordnance forced a major public-safety response at a Eureka property after a resident found them while clearing brush on the 2600 block of Pigeon Point Road.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at about 9:58 a.m. on June 30 after a resident reported the discovery. Deputies contacted the resident and set up a safety perimeter so no one would handle the materials before trained responders arrived.

The sheriff’s office Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detail reached the scene first and made an initial assessment. Investigators identified the items as military ordnance, and because of their condition and nature, the county requested help from the United States Air Force 9th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team from Beale Air Force Base.

That Air Force team arrived at about 6:30 p.m. and worked with sheriff’s EOD personnel to identify the items and remove them safely. The ordnance was taken to a remote location and detonated there. The sheriff’s office thanked the Air Force team for its prompt response, expertise and assistance in resolving the incident without injury.

Anyone who finds suspicious military ordnance or any explosive device on private or public land should not touch it, move it or try to inspect it. Leave the area immediately and contact law enforcement right away. Anyone with information related to the investigation should call (707) 445-7251.

In July 2023, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team responded to a suspicious object near Pond Avenue in Scotia and identified it as a modified Vietnam-era military submunition. Deputies rendered that device safe on scene.