Live mortar round dug up in North Sacramento yard, bomb squad responds
Bomb squad crews and the U.S. Air Force responded to a Sacramento County home after an apparent unexploded ordnance was found in the yard over the weekend.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office says North Patrol deputies responded Sunday after a homeowner's son uncovered what appeared to be a mortar round while digging in the yard.
Residents in the immediate area were evacuated, and the sheriff's office's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was called to the scene.
Deputies say the U.S. Air Force was also called in after the item's legitimacy was confirmed.
The item was indeed a live 81 mm mortar, the sheriff's office says. Crews were able to remove and safely destroy it.
Authorities did not speculate where the live mortar came from, but residents say unexploded ordnance has turned up in the area for years following the 1973 Roseville yard disaster.