Kids Take Un-detonated Bomb To Friends House

A group of children in Oregon stumbled across an un-detonated, decades-old military-grade mortar shell in a Portland wildlife refuge and decided to took it to a play date!

The 30-cm-long weapon was likely tossed as refuse into the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, and officials do not expect to find any more un-detonated bombs in the area, said Portland Police Bureau spokesman Pete Simpson.

The children carried it about one mile to a local home, at which point an adult called police.

"It's a mortar shell and very old. Not clear how old, but certainly decades, at least," Pete Simpson said. Police evacuated several surrounding homes and experts with the 142nd Oregon Air National Explosives Ordnance Disposal Team and a second, local agency, bomb squad worked together to deactivate the object.

It is rare, but old ordnance is occasionally found around Portland, though usually buried or left underwater, not discarded above ground in areas where children play, according to local officials, who said they doubt there are more mortars at the Oaks Bottom Refuge.