MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The bomb squad was called out to Miami Beach when a military flare washed up on shore.
Police set up a temporary perimeter on Miami Beach near Ninth Street after that military flare washed up on shore, around 10 a.m., Wednesday.
“We had a call of a military device on the water,” said Miami Beach Fire Chief Juan Mestas.
Beachgoers were evacuated from the area, but they have since been let back onto the beach after officials removed the flare around 12:15 p.m.
“Tell us to go back because there is a problem,” said Manuela Areolde, who was visiting from Italy.
According to Miami Beach Police, the flare belongs to the U.S. Coast Guard. It had multiple warnings on it that said “Do not handle” and “Contains phosphorus.”
“Anything like that, we really can’t tell how stable it is,” Mestas said.
The Miami Beach Fire Department called in the Miami-Dade Police Bomb Squad. They used a drone and used infrared technology to search for heat within the device.
7Skyforce HD flew over the beach as crews worked to assess the danger and evacuate everyone in the area.
It required a two-hour inspection and removal. “In this case, it had not gone off. Had it been unstable, it could have exploded,” said Areolde.
Officials said the flare is used for rescue missions. For some reason, when it was fired, it didn’t go off and washed on the shore.
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