Bomb Squad detonates Westport training grenade found in garage

WESTPORT – Residents of Westport may have heard an explosion last night, as city police and firefighters called the state demining team to detonate a device that was found in the garage of ‘a resident.

The Westport Fire Department said in a Facebook post just before 6 p.m. Tuesday that the object safely detonated behind the city’s highway service dirt piles.

“There was no threat to the public and the device was safely neutralized,” the message read.

But what was it?

According to Westport Deputy Fire Chief Dan Baldwin and Police Sgt. Bryan McCarthy, it was a simulation hand grenade commonly used in military training exercises.

Although not a real grenade, the device can produce a strong “report” in order to simulate an explosion.

McCarthy said the practice grenade was found in the garage of a recently sold house.

“It was by no means malicious,” Baldwin said.

The new owners called it on the police and fire department, who involved the demining team to deal with it, as noted by Baldwin is the protocol for any potentially explosive device.

“They put it in what’s called a fragmentation bag and took it to the highway department,” said McCarthy, where it detonated safely in a gravel pit.

While it’s not clear how the device got into the garage, Baldwin and McCarthy both noted that the former resident most likely picked it up to keep as part of a collection.

Baldwin added that if anyone finds a suspicious or potentially explosive object, they should immediately call the fire department or the police.

“Don’t handle it,” he said. ” Call us. “