Live grenade found in scrap yard

FARGO, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - A worker at a scrap metal yard in North Dakota came across an unusually dangerous find.

It was a normal day for equipment operator Taylor Lundebrek. He was sorting through an ordinary pile of scrap metal when he encountered a very un-ordinary kind of junk — a grenade.

The handle had broken off, but it appeared to still have a pin inserted.

It’s estimated the remaining explosive potential inside the grenade could have been lethal within a 30-foot radius.

Lundebrek brought it to the co-owner of Russ’s Auto and Scrap, Sheila Holtan. At first, Lundebrek had an interesting idea, she said.

“He said, it looks like a grenade, and it looks like it’s still got the pins in it. What do I do with it?” Holtan said.

“I kind of hesitated for a second, and he said, ‘Can I just take it home with me?’”

Holtan dismissed this suggestion and called the police. They, in turn, contacted the bomb squad from Grand Forks.

Once they arrived, they X-rayed the grenade, and found that it contained live ammunition.

At that point, everyone at Russ’s was sent home, and the bomb squad shuttled the grenade to the landfill outside of town. There, it was safely detonated.

“And a lot of people heard the blast last night,” Holtan said.

Both Lundebrek and Holtan said they were still somewhat in shock the day after the freak occurrence. However, they said they’re both just happy that everyone is safe and sound.