Illinois Residents Urged To Watch For ‘Unaccounted’ Military Pyrotechnics In Lake

No need to start fire incidents before the 4th of July even gets here.

Now that Memorial Day weekend is behind us, summer has unofficially officially begun. If you're planning a jaunt to Lake Michigan, there's a very specific warning for you.

According to NBC Chicago, military officials are warning about the possibility of 'unaccounted' pryotechnics washing up on Lake Michigan shores. One was discovered Monday on Montrose Beach by a lifeguard.

The Coast Guard said the devices are "military marine flares" that failed to activate during a training exercise earlier this month when they were set in the lake. Now, there are still 3 devices missing in the lake. They're flares, so they can produce red smoke and fire that lasts for 20-30 minutes, and get up to temperatures around 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit.

So obviously, officials are urging you to be super careful if you come across one of these things. Lt. Joe Neff told NBC Chicago:

So (they) can cause severe burns on a person or if they remove it from beach, take it on vehicle or house and it were to ignite, it can turn a situation into greater danger.

The flares were sent out during a joint military exercise on May 13th with the Coast Guard and Air Force off the coast of Milwaukee. It doesn't say how many of them were sent but it's 4 that haven't gone off.

Of course, fire and water aren't besties, so it's possible that the flares may have deactivated in the lake. If you see them, you're asked to call 911 and just don't touch the thing.