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Hitchhiker · 10-10-2007, 01:32 PM

From the Asheville CITIZEN-TIMES:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

Live grenade found near Hot Springs campground

Mike McWilliams
October 8, 2007

HOT SPRINGS – Campers got a little surprise this weekend when the peace and tranquility was rocked by explosions.

Actually, the explosions were law enforcement officers detonating a hand grenade found along the railroad tracks near the Hot Springs Campground and Spa.

Between 200 and 300 campers were evacuated about 8:30 p.m. Saturday for about an hour until the hand grenade was detonated, campground manger Sandy West said.

"There were three explosions. The first one was very loud, the second one was much milder and the third one was very loud," West said.

The hand grenade appeared to be live, said Lt. Wallace Welch, commander of the Asheville Police Department's bomb squad.

"It had deteriorated somewhat to a point, which would lead me to believe that it had probably been there for a little while," Welch said.

It's unknown how the hand grenade ended up there, but Welch said he doesn't think it was meant to blow up the railroad track.

"It wasn't rigged or fused to the track or anything," Welch said. "It's possible someone had some old stuff, and they didn't know what to do with it or didn't know how to get rid of it, and for whatever reason decided to throw it down there."

Welch said he "counter charged" the grenade with other commercial explosives. No one was injured, he said.

As for the three explosions, Welch said the first shot he took at the grenade didn't detonate it. His second shot was a misfire.

"The third shot, I finally just loaded up and there it went," Welch said. "Normally, with military devices, we would call Fort Bragg,. However, due to the nature of the campground being right there, it was more of a life-threatening situation and we didn't feel like we had the opportunity to wait for them to arrive."

Welch said he did not know who initially spotted the grenade. Hot Springs police and fire officials were not immediately available for comment.

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Hitchhiker · 10-10-2007, 01:32 PM

From the Asheville CITIZEN-TIMES:

Quote:

Live grenade found near Hot Springs campground

Mike McWilliams
October 8, 2007

HOT SPRINGS – Campers got a little surprise this weekend when the peace and tranquility was rocked by explosions.

Actually, the explosions were law enforcement officers detonating a hand grenade found along the railroad tracks near the Hot Springs Campground and Spa.

Between 200 and 300 campers were evacuated about 8:30 p.m. Saturday for about an hour until the hand grenade was detonated, campground manger Sandy West said.

"There were three explosions. The first one was very loud, the second one was much milder and the third one was very loud," West said.

The hand grenade appeared to be live, said Lt. Wallace Welch, commander of the Asheville Police Department's bomb squad.

"It had deteriorated somewhat to a point, which would lead me to believe that it had probably been there for a little while," Welch said.

It's unknown how the hand grenade ended up there, but Welch said he doesn't think it was meant to blow up the railroad track.

"It wasn't rigged or fused to the track or anything," Welch said. "It's possible someone had some old stuff, and they didn't know what to do with it or didn't know how to get rid of it, and for whatever reason decided to throw it down there."

Welch said he "counter charged" the grenade with other commercial explosives. No one was injured, he said.

As for the three explosions, Welch said the first shot he took at the grenade didn't detonate it. His second shot was a misfire.

"The third shot, I finally just loaded up and there it went," Welch said. "Normally, with military devices, we would call Fort Bragg,. However, due to the nature of the campground being right there, it was more of a life-threatening situation and we didn't feel like we had the opportunity to wait for them to arrive."

Welch said he did not know who initially spotted the grenade. Hot Springs police and fire officials were not immediately available for comment.

JJ Hamick · 10-11-2007, 12:37 AM

This reminds me of a situation when I was a police officer. Someone found an unexploded cluster bomb on the beach and brought it into the police station and placed it on the front counter. First the Army showed up and wanted to explode it in place. Not a good idea for the police station. Finally the county bomb squad arrived and removed it with a robot and placed it in their bomb container. It was then exploded. What a show.