Grenade Found In Central Avenue Home Was Inactive

A woman cleaning her Central Avenue home Wednesday night found a grenade in her closet that had probably been tucked away there for decades, fire officials said.

The Medford Fire Department called in the state's bomb squad after receiving a report of a found grenade at 139 Central Ave. about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, officials said. It was quickly determined to be inactive, Fire Marshal Spokesperson Jennifer Mieth said.

The grenade was among belongings of a relative who had recently died and had apparently taken it as a souvenir from World War II, Mieth said.

"It's a relatively common scenario," Mieth said. "But you can’t always tell if it’s alive or anert, so we encourage people to call in the experts."

After receiving the report, Medford Fire closed off the street near the home and set up a safety perimeter before a state bomb squad team arrived, Deputy fire Chief Scott Graham said.

The bomb squad team was there only briefly. The scene was cleared by about 8 p.m., Graham said.

The grenade was from the WWII era and had apparently been stored in the closet for many years, Graham said.

"It had been there for decades," Graham said.

The grenade was confiscated by State Police and will eventually be destroyed, Mieth said.

"People took those at the time as souvenirs, and it was legal to do so," Mieth said, "but in this day and age, it is property of the military."