ROCKLAND — When a resident of James Street, in Rockland, vacated the house in 2015, that resident left behind a grenade, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety.

For several hours, Thursday evening, July 28, James Street was barricaded off to traffic, and neighbors of the house were evacuated by police, following a call made to Knox Regional Communications Center of the possible presence of an explosive. Inside that residence, Rockland police took control of the grenade, which had been altered, but was eventually determined to not be a danger to anyone, according to Shannon Moss, media spokesperson for DPS.

The Maine State Police Bomb Team arrived at the house at approximately 8:10 p.m., approximately an hour after Rockland Fire Department blocked off James Street, at both the Main and North Main street entrances, at the request of Rockland officers. James Street is mainly residential, though it can be accessed by Route 1 (Main Street).

The Bomb Team removed it and will dispose of it, according to Moss.

In the beginning, neighbors loitered in a nearby park, or in nearby parking lots. However, as the incident dragged on, those neighbors dispersed to other locations.

Darkness fell, followed by rain and lightning, before the road was reopened around 9:20 p.m.

The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office also responded.