A main thoroughfare into the Woodlands section of Palm Coast was closed for about three hours Monday evening when a property controller reported finding a hand grenade in a tree.

Flagler County deputies responded to a home on Blare Drive around 6:20 p.m. and met with Realtor Fanny Herrera, who said she discovered the grenade while cleaning the property.

Deputies said they found what appeared to be a pineapple hand grenade in a large hollow of an oak tree in the backyard.

Oak Trails Boulevard, leading into the subdivision, was closed in both directions while the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad responded to the scene around 8:30 p.m. Two neighboring homes were evacuated as a safety precaution.

The bomb squad assessed the device and made several attempts to remove it from the hollow in the tree with a bomb robot, deputies said. Only the top of the device could be seen, and its appearance was similar to that of a real MK 2 "pineapple" grenade.

Just after 9 p.m., as the bomb squad had deployed to the tree, the previous renter of the home was in contact with deputies and said it was a dummy grenade that he forgot to remove from the tree when he moved out, deputies said. The bomb squad removed the disabled grenade and took it for disposal.

The road was reopened and the evacuees were allowed to return to their homes a short time later.