Dangerous military device found abandoned on California beach

A military device capable of burning at 3,000 degrees washed up on a California beach and a well-meaning beachgoer unwittingly took it home.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad and Navy explosive experts from Point Mugu were called to a home in Ojai last week after a resident showed up with a Navy MK25 phosphorus marine marker they had spotted along the waterline, according to a social media post by authorities.

The unnamed beachgoer apparently feared the suspicious-looking object could pose a threat to others and decided to remove it from the sand before calling law enforcement.

But officials warned the good deed could have ended disastrously.

“Although well intentioned, marine markers, even if wet and expended, are extremely dangerous,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad said.

The military markers contain phosphorus, which can remain hazardous even after the device has been soaked in seawater or appears to have already been used.

“Residual phosphorus can dry out once removed from the water, then spontaneously reignite or explode when moved,” authorities warned. The devices can also burn at temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees and contain highly toxic material.

The MK25 is a military pyrotechnic device designed to produce smoke and flames on the surface of the ocean, creating a visible reference point for aircraft or vessels. The markers can be deployed from the air or manually, according to the US Army.

Authorities did not reveal which Ventura County beach the device washed ashore on or how long it may have been bobbing around in the ocean before it was discovered.

And it may not be the only piece of hazardous military equipment turning up along the Southern California coastline.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad chimed in on Ventura County’s social media warning, saying its crews have encountered several similar devices that washed ashore in recent weeks.

Officials suggested the recent string of discoveries could be connected to powerful storms and rough ocean conditions churning up the coast.

Ventura County beaches have recently been battered by high surf and dangerous ocean conditions, including impacts associated with remnants of Hurricane Marie over Labor Day weekend and swells generated by Hurricane Polo.

California has also been bracing for powerful ocean conditions amid El Niño, with Gov. Gavin Newsom declaring a precautionary state of emergency and several coastal communities issuing their own local emergency declarations in response to existing damage and looming threats.

Whatever causes the next suspicious object to wash onto the sand, authorities say beachgoers should resist the urge to play bomb squad themselves.

“If you come across an item that looks like a ‘bomb’ or other piece of military equipment please leave the item in place, evacuate the area, and call 911,” the sheriff’s bomb squad warned.

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