Potential military device forces brief evacuation in Solana Beach

Authorities briefly evacuated a coastal stretch of Solana Beach Friday, Dec. 30, after a lifeguard found a suspicious device sticking out of the sand, a sheriff’s official said.

The Sheriff’s Department Bomb/Arson Unit was called in shortly after 9 a.m. after a device described as a tube was spotted in the area of Fletcher Cove, Lt. David Collins said.

“The tube had military nomenclature that suggested it could be a military ordinance,” he said.

The Bomb/Arson Unit determined the tube was empty, he said.

The Fletcher Cove parking lot was briefly cleared out while the bomb squad worked. The area was reopened after the device was deemed safe.