Buckroe Beach homes evacuated after crews find possible explosive munition
Buckroe Beach homes were evacuated Tuesday morning after a construction crew discovered a suspected ordnance that turned out to be a 3-inch shrapnel round, officials say.
Hampton Fire Department responded around 9:20 a.m. to the 300 block of Buckroe Avenue, near North Mallory Street, after a construction crew reported finding an unknown metal object in the ground.
The fire department, Battalion Chief Anthony Chittum, reached out to the Air Force’s explosive ordnance disposal team at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.
Chittum said the team X-rayed the object at the scene and were having trouble identifying it at the time.
U.S. Air Force spokesperson Mike Reeves later confirmed the metal object was a 3.3-inch shrapnel round from a Parrott rifle dating back to the post-Civil War era. The explosive ordnance disposal team recovered the shrapnel and disposed of it.
The scene was cleared and residents were allowed to return to their homes around 1 p.m., Chittum said.
Caitlyn Burchett, 727-267-6059, caitlyn.burchett@virigniamedia.com
