Brussels family finds WW1 grenade during house renovation

A family in Koekelberg was surprised to find a World War One grenade lodged in their ceiling while carrying out home renovations, reports Le Soir and Bruzz.

Police were quick to arrive at the scene and set up a safety perimeter around the property, where the explosive artefact was sitting in the middle of the garden. “One of the residents immediately carried the grenade outside as a reflex,” explained police spokesman François Ganseman.

The demining service Dovo then safely defused the bomb. “There was no imminent danger,” said Koekelberg mayor Ahmed Laaouej, who added: “I would like to thank our police and demining service for their quick intervention.”

Although the incident had a happy ending, police advise the public to call them immediately rather than handle any explosive material.

In a similar situation three weeks ago in Forest, a member of the public drove a dormant grenade to the local police station. It had to be evacuated while the explosive was diffused by the Dovo service.

Photo: Illustration picture of DOVO/SEDEE demining service © Belga/Kurt Desplenter