A Brighton firehouse was evacuated Tuesday morning after a man showed up to ask firefighters to look at a mortar shell he had found in his basement.

The ordnance turned out to be inert, but it caused a half-hour disruption as the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad examined the object. Officials set up a safety perimeter around the Engine 41 firehouse on Cambridge Street during the investigation.

The episode highlighted the danger of transporting ammunition or other potentially volatile items, Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said.

“No one should ever touch or move anything that they think is explosive,’’ he said.

The man showed up around 11 a.m. driving a Jeep with the mortar shell in the back seat, MacDonald said. Unsure of whether the device was dangerous, the man asked firefighters what he should do with it.

The captain at the station “confirmed it looked like a military mortar,’’ cleared the station, and called police. By 11:30 a.m., authorities had determined it was not explosive.

MacDonald reiterated that anything that is potentially explosive should be treated with extreme care. “Basically, if you can, secure the area, evacuate the immediate vicinity, and call the police,’’ he said.

Mike Bello of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Miguel Otárola can be reached at miguel.otarola@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @motarola123.