Hear a boom? Army blows up military markers that wash ashore on Olympic Peninsula

SEQUIM, Wash. (AP) — An Army spokesman says a unit from Joint Base Lewis-McChord has blown up some naval military training markers that washed ashore on Dungeness Spit on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

The Peninsula Daily News reports the three explosions Thursday afternoon startled nearby neighbors.

Base spokesman John Norgren says the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department called the Army after the markers washed ashore at the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.

He says the 18-inch-long shells are phosphorus markers used in military training.

Wildlife refuge officer Dave Falzetti says the markers are thought to be Canadian. Falzetti says beachcombers often find the shells, clearly marked with warnings. He says they can be hazardous because the phosphorous burns very hot.