THE LEDGER-STAR
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 8, 1994 TAG: 9408080197
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: COROLLA, N.C. LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
Thousands of people were evacuated from beaches in and around this Currituck County town after crates labeled as containing radioactive explosives washed ashore Sunday.
The crates were later found to be empty.
``The problem is that from 4 o'clock on, we evacuated the beach in the vicinity of these empty crates because of the way they were marked,'' said Marshall Cherry, chief of operations for the Corolla Fire and Rescue Department.
A lifeguard spotted the first crate in the water along the city beach Sunday afternoon. The crate was labeled that it contained four high-energy warhead rockets and had a warning sign about radiation danger, Cherry said.
A Navy ordinance demolition team from Norfolk, Va., and a Marine demolition team were sent to get rid of the crates.
Meantime, Army Lt. Col. Jim Mitcham called the fire department and said the crates were empty and Army helicopters had been using them for target practice about 10 miles offshore over the weekend, Cherry said. by CNB