Inadvertent grenade donations causes panic, evacuation in Wingham

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

On Friday, Oct. 2 there was a bit of excitement on Wingham’s main street when a Salvation Army employee called the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) with a report of a suspected live grenade being found in a donated box of combat memorabilia.

 

At 2:17 p.m., Huron OPP was dispatched to the main street of Wingham for the call. Shortly after, the police called in the Fire Department of North Huron (FDNH) for help with closing the roads, evacuating the buildings on the block and general crowd control as the situation was handled.

 

After closing down the main street of Wingham for several hours, the Grey Bruce OPP’s Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) was on scene just after 5:30 p.m., safely removing the items of concern.

 

Scott Miller of CTV reported later that day that he had been in touch with the man who made the donation, whom he did not identify. He apologized for the mix-up and for inconveniencing the emergency responders and main street businesses and residents. He told Miller that he did not intend to donate the “old grenade”, but had forgotten that it was in the box of military memorabilia. Miller also noted that the man had given a statement to the OPP as well.

 

In the end, it was determined that while it was a grenade, it was not live and there were no explosions or injuries as a result of the incident.