5 homes evacuated, military called in to deal with antique explosive at North Vancouver home
Five homes in North Vancouver were evacuated and the Department of National Defence was called in Wednesday as authorities dealt with a military artifact in a residential neighbourhood.
North Vancouver RCMP said on Twitter that they had closed Dollarton Highway between Roche Point Drive and Dollar Road after being notified of a "historical ordnance" that was "bought as a novelty," but may be hazardous.
Angelina Kekic was running errands in the morning and tried going back home around 1 p.m., but couldn’t get close to her house.
“The police stopped us and said we’re not allowed in," she told CTV News Vancouver.
Kekic, who was supposed to be working from home, had to cancel her scheduled work appointments. When she asked police what was going on, she was told a potentially explosive device had been found in a home.
“I wanted to know, is it my house? Where this this happening? Where is this explosive? Are there people around my home? For me, that was unnerving, not knowing what was happening," she said.
Sgt. Peter DeVries, spokesperson for North Vancouver RCMP, told CTV News the item in question is a military shell of some kind, and is believed to be quite old.
The person who bought it thought it was decommissioned, but had second thoughts and contacted police, DeVries said.
Officers evacuated four surrounding homes and secured the area around the house where the explosive is located, DeVries said.
The area was shut down for several hours Wednesday afternoon as police awaited the arrival of Canadian Armed Forces experts.
RCMP confirmed Canadian Armed Forces personnel determined the ordnance might be live and dangerous and removed it from the home. By 6:30 p.m. the road reopened and evacuated residents had been allowed to return home.
Sgt. Devries said the incident was not criminal in nature. No fines or charges have been laid. No one was hurt, but some residents were troubled by the hours-long ordeal in their normally quiet community.
“I called my neighbours and made sure they were safe,” said Kekic. “We’re fortunate that we have a good neighbourhood and we watch out for each other.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.