OZAN – Explosive ordinance officials with the United States Air Force detonated a World War II era ordinance discovered on private property last Thursday.
According to Hempstead County Sheriff James A. Singleton, deputies were called to the residence on County Road 42 just before noon, where the called reported discovering the explosive device while attempting to clear timber from his land.
“The caller stated that on July 14 he found a mortar round in the area he was working and believed the mortar round to be live and could detonate,” Singleton said. “Deputy Francisco Mercado made contact with the Office of Emergency Management who contacted the Little Rock Air Force Base EOD unit.”
A bomb squad from the base arrived at 4:30 p.m. and detonated the mortar, Singleton said.
Approximately 50,000 acres east of Nashville were used as a proving ground for explosives during and after the World War II era, and many of the devices which didn’t detonate remain active in the area. A total of 404 families were relocated by Nov. 1, 1941 to create the strip of land, which employed about 4,000 people before closing in 1946.
