Live World War II-era grenades found in box bought at Texas estate sale

An estate sale purchase in Austin, Texas, became a potential public safety hazard this week, when one patron's box of items was found to contain World War II-era explosives, police said.

Squad members were able to seize and remove the devices, while officers "quickly secured the scene, set up a perimeter, and kept neighbors safe," the police association said, praising the bomb squad for their expertise as well as their "steady nerves."

Police said the situation should serve as a reminder to refrain from touching or moving military ordnance, including grenades, shells and mortar rounds, even it appears to be inert. Anyone who happens upon such a device should allow trained professionals to deal with it, authorities said.

Last year, a young boy discovered a live hand grenade, which also originated during WWII, on his family's property in central Washington. Authorities said at the time that the 3-year-old wasn't harmed, and bomb technicians were able to remove and dispose of the device in a rural area outside of the town where his family lived.