WWII Mortar Round Unearthed During Construction at Fort Meade

Five houses at Fort George G. Meade were evacuated Thursday by Army officials after a decades-old mortar round was unearthed.

Workers removing dirt at a construction site around noon found what the Army said was a nonlethal World War II-era round, similar to an empty shell casing, reports the Maryland Gazette.

A portion of the Heritage Park neighborhood was blocked off and houses were evacuated near Mapes Road and Buckner Avenue.

An explosive ordnance detachment from Fort Belvoir, Va., removed the mortar. Residents were allowed to return to their homes around 2 p.m., the Gazette said.

A Fort Meade spokeswoman said it is routine to find old ordnance around the post, which has served as a training area.