Bombs May Be Buried Under 54 Homes; Crews To Dig Up Properties
Live explosives possibly buried under more than 50 homes in an Orange County neighborhood has prompted plans to begin digging up properties and may force families from their homes. World War II-era rockets and a grenade were found buried underground this week about 1,000 feet behind Odyssey Middle School and just yards from the Warwick subdivision. Lennar home builders told the homeowners that a munitions consultant they recently hired identified metal objects on all 54 of their home sites. "What happens next is that we go in and start digging these things out of the ground," Lennar Division President Wayne Broedel said. Related builder story: KB Home's $1.9M Taxpayer Bomb Clean up
Bombs May Be Buried Under 54 Homes; Crews To Dig Up Properties
Munitions Consultant Finds Metal Objects On All Home Sites
October 11, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Live explosives possibly buried under more than 50 homes in an Orange County neighborhood has prompted plans to begin digging up properties and may force families from their homes.
PHOTOS: Images Of Found Live Ammo
Video: Bombs May Be Buried Under 54 Homes; Crews To Dig Up Properties
World War II-era rockets and a grenade were found buried underground this week about 1,000 feet behind Odyssey Middle School and just yards from the Warwick subdivision.
The U.S. Army used the land near Odyssey Middle School as a bombing range until 1946. The year after that, three boys playing near the site were crippled by a live explosive but the land was not declared a potential danger by the Army Crops of Engineers until last year.
Thursday night, families from the Warwick subdivision met with Lennar officials to discuss fears that they may be living near or on top of buried explosives.
Lennar home builders told the homeowners that a munitions consultant they recently hired identified metal objects on all 54 of their home sites.
"What happens next is that we go in and start digging these things out of the ground," Lennar Division President Wayne Broedel said.
The digging will uproot lawns and could venture under foundations, the report said.
"Who knows where they are going to be next?" homeowner Christopher Schoembohm said. "Are they going to be under my house or somebody else's house?"
Neighbors said they are worried about the danger and falling property values.
"I just don't want my house to go down in value because of all this," Warwick homeowner Scott Fritz said. "That is my main concern."
"I really am concerned about the safety for myself, my wife and my dog," resident Ron Huff said.
The digging will begin at the properties on Monday and should take weeks to complete.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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