KEMAH, Texas – It looked like a bomb, but officials said the device that caused the Kemah Marina to be evacuated was nothing more than a military training device.
It took officials nearly eight hours to clear the scene on Wednesday and determine the old military training device was harmless.
Bomb techs with Houston and Baytown police were called to the scene along with agents from the FBI and U.S. Coast Guard.
"When we got it up, it had a big hole in it. It's not an active device," said Bill Kerber, emergency management coordinator for the City of Kemah.
Officials believe the device came from an old marine salvage yard that used to be in the area. Officials said the yard has been gone for years, and there's no way for them to know if any other devices went missing from the yard.
A couple first noticed the device as they were out for a walk.
"We live in the marina and we were just walking down the dock and we noticed how low the water was," said Irene, who didn't want to give her last name.
Irene said she and her husband first thought the device was a bomb, so they quickly called the marina management.
"We knew it should be treated as dangerous," said Irene. "So we went right up and reported it to the office."
The device was hauled away to a scrap yard.