A vintage, unexploded munitions device found in Doyle on Saturday prompted the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office to turn to the U.S. Navy for assistance detonating and disabling the highly explosive ordnance.
According to the LCSO report, a Deputy was called to a location in Doyle at around 6:00p.m. and contacted the reporting party who had been cleaning up the property and located what he believed to be an explosive military shell.
The object was about three inches in diameter and about ten inches long.
“The Deputy believed the ordnance was very old and unspent,” explains Sergeant Bryan Sullivan. “U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal was contacted and briefed on the situation.”
When the EOD responded and assessed the device it was determined that the ordnance likely contained high explosives.
“Due to the device being partially decomposed and possibly being unsafe to transport, it was determined the safest method was to detonate the device on site.”
LCSO personnel, along with California Highway Patrol, evacuated the area while the EOD detonated the device using high explosives.
“The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal and the California Highway Patrol for their assistance.”
