3 missing armed flares could be on Chicago beaches, officials warn

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Officials are warning the public about missing armed flares after one washed up on a Chicago beach.

A lifeguard spotted one of the pieces of equipment, which is essentially a very powerful flare, on Montrose Beach around 5 p.m. Monday, and called Chicago police, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

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The Coast Guard released a photo of that phosphorus pyrotechnic, which is cylindrical and silver in color. It is about 15 to 18 inches long and burns extremely hot when activated.

Officials warned the public that there are three other similar flares that remain unaccounted for. It is unclear if they are also in the area.

Those pyrotechnics were lost during a joint military training exercise between the Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force near Milwaukee earlier this month.

Fast-forward to Memorial Day, with that one item washing up onto Montrose Beach. Officials say it did not activate, but it was armed.

One man, who works at a restaurant along the beach, said some people were initially afraid when they saw it.

"These people just started running towards us. They thought it was a bomb, and we kind of starting thinking, we've got to shut stuff down," Zach Alberts said. "If I saw that, I think I would have walked right past it."

The Coast Guard says those pyrotechnics are designed to float in the water, so it is possible that you could encounter it on a boat or while swimming.

Officials say if you see one of these items, do not touch it. Just call 911.

"Last thing we want to do, to have, is for people to find one of these on the beach and pick it up. If it were to activate it burns at very high temperatures, can be anywhere near 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit, so we just want people to stay clear, call 911," said U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer Lt. Joe Neff.