Joanne Wegiel’s attempt to sell some of her recently departed father’s possessions resulted in a visit from the bomb squad after she discovered a container with an alarming warning label.

On Saturday afternoon, Wegiel hosted a garage sale at her late father’s home in the 6300 block of 30 Ave. N.W. While sorting through the residence, Wegiel was amazed by the collection of items her father, a long time Bowness resident, had owned.

“He passed away at the age of 86 after living in the same home for 60 years,” said Joanne Wegiel of her father. “The things he accumulated surprised even us. It’s just unfathomable the things we found.”

Among the items was a container with labels warning of potential danger.

“We found a container that said explosive and inside were these round things that said explosive,” said Wegiel. “We didn't know what they were so they said call the city. When I described them to the city, he said you need to call 911.”

The quiet sale was soon a flurry of action as the bargain hunters were replaced by police officers, firefighters and explosive experts.

“The hazmat team came out,” said Wegiel. “They cordoned off the whole neighbourhood, the end of the alley, a whole block perimeter.”

Wegiel said the emergency crews would not allow vehicles to travel through the area and several homes were evacuated.

“I don’t think they knew what they were dealing with.”

No one was able to identify the contents of the container until neighbour Norm Perrault stopped by.

“It was flares and bangers,” explained Perrault. “Flares, they would use them for a variety of things, and, as for bangers, they used to be put on railroad tracks.”

Perrault said the bangers would be used as a warning signal to train engineers in a time before cellular phones. The bangers would produce a loud bang when struck by a train.

Wegiel’s father worked for CP Rail for three decades but Joanne has no idea why her father would have kept the flares and bangers for so many years.

“One of the neighbours said nothing would surprise him,” laughs Wegiel. “My dad was such a character.”

The relatively harmless items were removed by emergency crews and the garage sale resumed.