Employees at ALCO Iron and Metal at 1091 Doolittle Drive contacted police around 4:15 p.m. Thursday to report the bomb, which was resting on top of a container marked "diesel fuel," police Sgt. Ted Henderson said.
The area surrounding the yard was quickly evacuated and Doolittle Drive was shut down between Adams Avenue and Williams Street. The nearby Oakland International Airport was also notified of the possible threat to aircraft.
Fortunately, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office bomb squad determined the bomb was authentic but inert, and removed it without incident, Henderson said.
"As you can imagine, shutting down a major thoroughfare such as Doolittle Drive at that time of day was a challenge," Henderson said. "However, all officers and dispatchers did an outstanding job to ensure our community remained safe during this incident."
