Old military devices suspected to be unexploded ordnances were uncovered by a contractor at Tipton Airport, Anne Arundel County, leading to a coordinated response from local authorities. According to WBALTV, police reported that the contractor was performing excavation work when the devices were unexpectedly uncovered, prompting an immediate call to both the police and fire departments to investigate the discovery.
The Anne Arundel County fire officials have confirmed, through arson and explosives investigators, that the unearthed items are indeed old military ordnances. However, precise identification and the subsequent safe removal await military officials' input on the site, situated at the junction of Maryland Routes 198 and 32 just a stone's throw from Fort Meade where, according to a map compiled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the nearest known former defense site—it being noted that Tipton Airport itself has not been marked as a former used defense site (FUDS), CBS News reported.
Military ordnances, as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), encompass a range of supplies, including weapons, ammunition, and other types of military equipment. The EPA states that sites holding such ordnances have sometimes been repurposed, prompting the Department of Defense to assess these areas for cleanup, recognizing that they vary greatly in size and potential contamination.
