Second World War era grenade dropped off at Ontario Provincial Police station July 10, 2026. OPP OPP VIA X

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Provincial police say they’re ready and willing to help with problem items like the Second World War era hand grenade brought to the Ottawa detachment Friday.

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But they urge residents to call ahead and allow the experts to pick up and dispose of the explosive material.

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Const. Michael Fathi of the OPP’s Ottawa detachment said a 77-year-old area resident came across the grenade, as well as a second “live” shell, while cleaning her basement.

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She brought the items to the station, but Fathi said the woman was told to leave the (potential) explosives outside.

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“You don’t know what condition they’re in, whether they can still explode,” he noted.

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“You don’t want to take chance.”

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The grenade stayed outside the OPP detachment while explosives experts stored it safely pending the arrival of members of Canadian Forces at Petawawa to take possession to dispose of the device.

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While the exact model wasn’t identified, according to Wikipedia, the common U.S. Mk 2 hand grenade contained about 57 grams of TNT and could inflict casualties with shrapnel up to 45 meters away, “which was often further than a soldier could safely throw it.”

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Fathi also noted it was unclear where the explosives came from originally.

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He said it’s not the first time he or his colleagues have been called to deal with such devices.

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“When I was posted at Kemptville, we had (explosives delivered to the post) several times,” he said.

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The safest solution is for people to contact their local police to pick the device up, he stressed.

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