3-Year-Old Finds Live WWII Grenade in Washington Yard, Bomb Squad Disposes It Safely

A three-year-old boy in Hartline, Washington, found a live hand grenade in his family's front yard and brought it inside to his parents, who immediately called 911. The Washington State Patrol bomb squad confirmed the grenade was live and safely removed it to a rural area north of Hartline for disposal without incident. The grenade, heavily corroded and rusted, was identified as a World War II-era device that had been exposed to the elements for an extended period, though it remains unclear how long it had been there or how it arrived at the property. Officials noted that while the grenade shell was from World War II, the explosive inside was likely an improvised explosive device (IED), making it more volatile and dangerous. The boy was unharmed, and authorities emphasized the rarity and danger of such novelty grenades due to their unpredictable contents. Hartline is a small agricultural community about halfway between Seattle and Spokane with approximately 150 residents.