A contractor recently came across a historic discovery as he was renovating a client’s bathroom in Seattle, Washington.
Vadim Kharkhavyy, who works with Polar Bear Construction, was ripping out a bathtub when he saw a grenade “between the studs,” KIRO 7 News reported on Wednesday.
“My first thought was to get out of there,” Kharkavyy told the station.
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“I rushed out of there, took a breath and actually went back in and recorded the situation,” he said.
“I zoomed in on my phone and took a closer peek. I’m like, that’s an actual freaking grenade.”
Police said the grenade found behind a wall in Washington state (not pictured) was not live — and it’s likely a WWII-era device. (iStock)
Kharkavyy said he’s been working in the construction business for 10 years and will sometimes find things inside the walls and under floors, such as dated magazines or newspapers.
When he realized this item was an explosive — things got serious.
“I got a little bit frightened and put the tub down and ran out of the room, and just gave it about five minutes just in case,” Kharkavyy told Professional Remodel, a trade publication and website reporting on information associated with residential, commercial and general remodeling contractors.
“I didn’t know if I set something off.”
“Even if you open that compartment, you still would not know it’s there.”
Seattle Police and the bomb squad were called to the scene, and it was determined that the device was not a live grenade.
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The grenade was hidden in the wall through a compartment that a person could access underneath the bathtub and through a closet — which was on the opposite side of the bathroom wall, Professional Remodel reported.
“Even if you open that compartment, you still would not know it’s there,” Kharkavyy told the site.
“You wouldn’t even have known if you put your head in there because everything is so tight with all the electrical and plumbing in the way.”
“So, somebody had to know, you know, that it was there because of the way they reached in.”
A public information officer (PIO) with the Seattle Police Department (not pictured) said it’s not known how or who placed the grenade in the location where it was found. (iStock)
Kharkavyy said he lost three hours of work after he found the hidden grenade, but that he would not have risked losing his life, KIRO 7 reported.
“Whether it’s a bomb, whether it’s a grenade — it’s an explosive. I have kids and a wife at home, so I’d rather play it safe than sorry,” he told the station.
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Kharkavyy also told KIRO 7 that investigators with the Seattle Police told him WWII veterans brought weapons with them as they returned home from combat — and someone may have “stored it there and possibly forgot about it.”
Seattle Police Arson Bomb Squad (ABS) were unavailable to offer comment to Fox News Digital as of publication.
A contractor with Polar Bear Construction in the Seattle area was ripping out a bathtub when he noticed a grenade (not pictured) hidden in the wall, according to several news reports. (iStock)
A public information officer (PIO) with the department said it’s not known how or who placed the grenade in the location where it was found.
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The PIO also sent a link directing Fox News Digital to the ATF website, where the following is stated: “Unloaded or dummy grenades, artillery shell casings, and similar devices, which are cut or drilled in an ATF-approved manner so that they cannot be used as ammunition components for destructive devices, are not considered NFA weapons.”
On Dec. 31, 2023, a grenade was found inside the walls of a home during a renovation project in a Dallas-area town, Fox News Digital previously reported. (White Settlement Police Department)
This isn’t the only recent incident where a grenade was found during a home renovation.
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In Texas on Dec. 31, 2023, officers with the White Settlement Police Department responded to a call after a new homeowner found what appeared to be a military-style hand grenade.
A contractor in Washington came across a hidden grenade during a job while demolishing a bathroom in a Seattle-area client’s home. Police reportedly told him the device may be from the WWII era. (iStock)
People at the property and nearby residents were evacuated as the Fort Worth Fire Department Arson and Bomb investigations team arrived at the scene and determined that the grenade did not contain any explosive material, Fox News Digital reported earlier this month.
Fox News Digital reached out to Polar Bear Construction for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
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