Peabody Explosion: Found Artillery Shell Detonated At Dump Monday

PEABODY, MA — A three-pound armor-piercing artillery shell found in a Peabody basement was detonated at the dump on Farm Avenue late Monday afternoon, according to police.

Peabody police said a resident discovered the shell in their basement and reported it to them.

Massachusetts State Police units also responded and were able to take it safely to the dump where it was destroyed.

"This is the loud noise you may have heard in your neighborhood," police said early Monday night.

The detonation — and explanation — comes almost exactly two years after Peabody was hit with a series of "explosions" in the area of Goodwin Circle and downtown Peabody.

Peabody fire and police investigated those reports — even sending out drones and trained K9 units the next day in hopes of finding a source for the blasts that some residents claimed caused cracks in their ceilings.

But, despite exhausting research on similar incidents across the country and consulting a Salem State University team that studies weather-related phenomena, police said they never determined a firm reason for blasts and concluded they were most likely a "naturally occurring incident."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)