World War II-era artillery shell, grenade found at Palo Alto home

PALO ALTO – The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad safely detonated a World War II-era artillery shell and grenade after the explosives were found at a Palo Alto home Thursday, according to police.

A resident in the 2300 block of South Court discovered the devices in a box about 3:10 p.m. while cleaning out a deceased relative’s belongings, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a statement. The box was carried outside and placed carefully on the ground.

The bomb squad joined police officers at the scene and examined the artillery shell and grenade, one of which was determined to possibly still be live, according to police.

The devices were later taken to nearby Hoover Park, where the bomb squad conducted a single controlled detonation at 6:51 p.m., police said. No injuries were reported.

Officers closed the roadway and sidewalks of South Court between North California and Oregon avenues to through traffic for about three hours. No homes were evacuated during the incident, but 20 people were asked to leave Hoover Park for safety reasons about 15 minutes before the bomb squad detonated the devices.