Controlled explosion after artillery shell found in Copper Canyon

A controlled explosion was carried out early Friday morning after Argyle Fire officials discovered an artillery shell in a home.

The 155mm round was found around 4 p.m. at a Copper Canyon residence during a ordinance violation investigation involving potentially hazardous materials, according to Argyle Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger.

The shell was found sitting on the front porch and was not marked as disarmed, said Hohenberger. He said that officials could not determine the age of the shell. No arrests were made during the investigation.

Fire officials dispatched the City of Denton bomb squad who advised them to call Air Force bomb technicians to investigate. Air Force technicians recommended that the shell be destroyed in the area instead of taking it back to their base in Ft. Worth.

The shell was detonated with C4 explosives as a precaution in a horse trailer parking lot on Old Alton Road just before 12:30 a.m.  The blast was heard several miles away in Lantana, Highland Village and Denton.

After the blast, Air Force technicians determined that the shell did not appear to be live, Hohenberger said.

No injuries or property damage was reported.