A C2A1 Marine Location Marker was found washed ashore near Amphitrite Point Lighthouse in Ucluelet on Jan 21.
Ucluelet RCMP were alerted and a military explosives disposal team from CFB Esquimalt arrived the following morning to safely dispose of the canister, according to Const. Marcel Midlane of the Ucluelet RCMP.
The markers are buoyant devices tossed from aircrafts to indicate position at sea. They emit a yellow flame and white smoke for about 20 minutes.
Anyone who finds one washed ashore is urged not to touch it and to immediately contact the RCMP, according to Midlane. "The reason being is they still hold a chemical inside them even if they've been detonated and it causes the canister to burn violently hot," he said. "It can cause serious damage to somebody if touched."
Midlane said the CFB Esquimalt crew found residue in the canister meaning it could have posed a significant risk to anyone who came into contact with it.
"They said if this canister had broken open at some point and been exposed to the air it would have had a reaction and would have started to burn again," he said.
The canisters are roughly 45 centimeters long and long and 7.5 centimeters in diameter.
reporter@westerlynews.ca