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Explosives team called after Second World War-era mortar discovered at Colwood historic site

Fort Rodd Hill in Colwood, B.C., is pictured. (CTV News) Fort Rodd Hill in Colwood, B.C., is pictured. (CTV News)
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A navy explosives team was called to a national historic site on southern Vancouver Island on Sunday after a Second World War-era mortar was discovered.

The M49 A2 mortar was found around 10:30 a.m., according to Maritime Forces Pacific spokesperson Pamela Hogan.

A Royal Canadian Navy bomb disposal team from the nearby Fleet Diving Unit-Pacific was then called in to assess the object.

The bomb disposal team arrived around noon as local RCMP closed the area to traffic.

"Upon inspecting the round the team determined the most appropriate means of disposal was to conduct a controlled explosion of the round using C4," said Hogan.

It's not the first time an old, unexploded mortar has been found at Fort Rodd Hill.

The national historic site originally served as a coastal defence facility for the navy in the 1890s. It was then used as a training site during the First and Second World Wars.

As recently as 2021, an unexploded mortar dating back to the 1930s was discovered at Fort Rodd Hill and was safely disposed of.

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