WWII Grenade Set Off in McCloud

It literally was a blast from the past that sent the community in the small town of McCloud on alert by calling, texting, and going on Facebook to find out what the huge explosion was on Wednesday evening, June 25th. 

The blast was from a WW-2 grenade that the Shasta County bomb squad detonated on the 400 block of Grove Street. The grenade was found by Anne Deubner McNeil’s adult children as they were cleaning out their mother’s belongings who passed away earlier this year.

Among the boxes in the garage that they were going through, they found the grenade that they assumed their grandfather picked up somewhere and kept it as a keepsake. Through the years it landed in a box with other family heirlooms from way back in the day. There was a note on the box stating, ‘Careful transporting-grenade.’  Being on the cautious side, they immediately called the Siskiyou County Sheriff department.  

No longer having a bomb team in Siskiyou County, the sheriff’s department had the Shasta County Bomb Squad come out to detonate the explosive. They dug a hole about 3 feet deep on the property behind the Grove Street house and halfway to the Forest Service property to bury it with other explosives to set it off. It took two tries to ignite the grenade which was heard throughout the town.

Kate Blocher said that her grandfather had polio so he did not serve in WW-2 but probably picked it up somewhere as a keepsake.  Her brother called the sheriff’s office. 

Many people walked to where all the activity was to find 3 sheriff’s cars, the bomb squad, a fire truck, an ambulance, and the Neighborhood Watch commander all with their lights flashing. 

No one was hurt or injured during the incident.