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(DURHAM, N.C.) A Durham man found a World War II-era mortar round in his basement Sunday, prompting the police and bomb squad to be called, according to WTVD.
Dr. Ralph Haynes said he had been renovating his home for about a month when he stumbled upon a 60 mm mortar round from 1942 behind a pillar in his basement crawlspace. He guessed the shell had probably been there since the 1950s based on an old air conditioning unit near it.
Haynes said the round still had its firing pin intact, so he moved it to a garage before calling the police who called the Durham County Bomb Squad.
Haynes said the mortar round was a strange thing to find and that he felt bad for neighbors who couldn't get home while streets were closed for the removal, which took about two hours.
According to WTVD, the mortar round was the second reported explosive device found in the Raleigh-Durham area this year, after a Raleigh couple found a grenade while working in their yard.