A beachgoer who tried to do the right thing unwittingly brought a 3,000-degree military hazard into their Ojai home last week.
The resident, who has not been identified, spotted the Navy MK25 phosphorus marine marker along a Ventura County waterline and decided to remove it from the sand to protect others, according to a social media post by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad. Instead of calling authorities from the beach, the person transported the device home first.
That decision triggered an emergency response to the Ojai residence. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad and Navy explosive experts from Point Mugu converged on the home to secure the pyrotechnic device, which had already been soaked by ocean water.
“Although well intentioned, marine markers, even if wet and expended, are extremely dangerous,” the sheriff’s bomb squad said in its social media warning.
The MK25 is a military pyrotechnic designed to produce smoke and flames on the ocean surface, creating a visible reference point for aircraft or vessels. The devices can be deployed from the air or manually, according to the US Army.
“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 phosphorus inside the markers remains hazardous even after prolonged seawater exposure or apparent prior use. Officials emphasized that the beachgoer’s good deed could have ended disastrously.
The incident has taken on added urgency because it may not be an isolated case. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad responded to Ventura County’s warning with its own alert, 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 Southern California coastline. 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.
Authorities did not reveal which Ventura County beach the device washed ashore on or how long it may have been bobbing in the ocean before discovery.
The bomb squad issued blunt instructions for anyone encountering similar objects in the future: “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.”