A couple from Wallaceburg discovered something unexpected while magnet-fishing on Sunday afternoon.
Brianna Clarke said she and her husband enjoy finding things in nearby waters but never expected to catch a grenade.
Clarke said they were fishing on the Thames River in Thamesville when her husband felt something heavy on the end of the magnet. When he pulled it out of the water, they weren't sure what they had at first.
After a few moments, though, it became clear to the couple they had made a potentially explosive discovery.
“We had a good look and it was definitely a grenade with the pin still in it," Clarke said.
She immediately called 9-1-1 who advised the couple to gently set the object down until crews arrived. When police showed up, Clarke said an officer confirmed to her that it was a frag-grenade.
"[The officer] said that it looked like it had been in the water for quite a while so he's not even sure if it was a live grenade," she said.
Police closed the bridge in Thamesville while they investigated and sent pictures of the grenade to the Canadian Military for identification. Officers with the Bomb Disposal Unit identified the item as an M36 grenade and members from Camp Borden attended the scene to retrieve it.
Clarke and her husband may have to wait a while before they can go magnet-fishing again — or at least get some new equipment. She said police have taken the magnet that was attached to the bomb until the bomb-squad can figure out a safe way to detach it.
