Adelaide tradies uncover homemade bomb buried behind a fireplace during renos
An Adelaide tradesman got more than he bargained for this week when he discovered a live bomb buried in the house he was renovating.
Brad Harrison was working on the old property in Port Adelaide when he uncovered what looked like a mortar buried behind a fireplace.
A tradesman found this homemade mortar buried behind a fireplace in a Port Adelaide home. Brad Harrison
“On closer inspection we realised the primer was still intact, so decided to notify the police,” he wrote on Facebook.
“When the police turned up they confirmed it was live, so they called the bomb squad in to X-ray it.
“The bomb squad said they hadn’t seen a mortar like it before, so they called the army in to remove it and transport it to RAAF Edinburgh to detonate it safely.”
A spokesperson confirmed police were called to the property on St Vincent Street on Monday afternoon to deal with the “homemade mortar device”.
SAPOL’s Bomb Response Unit attended and assessed the small explosive device.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) was then called in to collect the mortar for safe disposal.
“There were no injuries and no risk to the public,” the police spokesperson told nine.com.au.
“While it’s not a common occurrence, SAPOL receive calls from members of the public who locate old explosives or dangerous substances.
“These range from military items such as grenades, bombs, mortars and other items, to commercial or homemade explosives and explosive devices, ammunition and other hazardous materials.”
Police were called to the scene to deal with the device. Brad Harrison
South Australians who find or wish to surrender any explosives or related materials are advised not to touch them or take them to police stations.
Instead, they should contact police with a description or photo of the item.
One Aussie claimed to have learnt that lesson when he discovered what appeared to be an explosive device in a skip bin a few years ago.
An Aussie claimed to have found what appeared to be an explosive device in a skip bin. Luke Collett
In a comment on Harrison’s post, Luke Collett said he tried taking a device he found to the local police station.
“They asked, ‘could you just take it home and call the army to come and collect it,’” he alleged.
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