Pacific police and a Federal Way police bomb squad removed and defused what appeared to be a pipe bomb that a citizen discovered in Pacific City Park on Thursday afternoon.

Authorities said the device, which contained black powder, could have caused substantial harm.

It is unknown who had left the device in the park, but police said it might have been left behind during the Fourth of July celebration.

The citizen brought the device to Pacific Police Department around 5:30 p.m. The citizen described the device as a metal “tent pole,” with both ends closed and a short fuse sticking out.

Police said the device was made of a piece of metal pipe, approximately three inches long, three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and contained a short fuse.

The bomb squad transported the device by remote controlled equipment to a safer location, where it was rendered harmless.