Marines safely detonate a military explosive device found on Hilton Head nature preserve

A military explosive device found in the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island was destroyed by a U.S. Marine Corps team, according to officials from Sea Pines and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The device was found around 10 a.m. Monday in the Sea Pines Forest Preserve, a protected nature area located in the northern half of the gated community. Sea Pines security informed the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, who reached out to the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort.

Officials say the device was known as an “unexploded ordnance,” or an explosive weapon that did not explode and still posed a risk of detonation. According to the FBI, ordnances can remain hidden for decades before exploding without notice.

The device was safely destroyed by members of a Marine Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.

Additional details on the specific nature of the device, why it was in Sea Pines and how long it was there were not immediately available. It’s also not known how the device came to the attention of authorities.