Arizona man finds Cold War fallout shelter hidden underneath his backyard 

  • The shelter appeared to have been built in 1961, at the height of the Cold War
  • Tucson, Arizona was once the home of 18 intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads, ready to fire at the Soviet Union
  • John Sims, who found the bunker and posted photos of it to Reddit, said he's planning to restore the space 'to its original glory' 

By Anton K. Nilsson For Dailymail.com

Published: 16:01 EST, 6 December 2015 | Updated: 19:49 EST, 6 December 2015

A homeowner in Arizona was surprised to find a Cold War-era fallout shelter hidden underneath his lawn. 

Reddit user John Sims, a.k.a. Captantarcitca, wrote on the website that he recently uncovered the 1960s nuclear fallout shelter after receiving a tip from a previous owner of the Tucson, Arizona home. 

Sims wrote that based on information he'd received, the shelter was built in 1961 by a company named Whitaker Pools.

The hatch of the forgotten fallout shelter that Reddit user John Sims found in his backyard was flipped upside down

The hatch of the forgotten fallout shelter that Reddit user John Sims found in his backyard was flipped upside down

Looking down into the hatch, some of the steps have crumbled and fallen down into the Cold War-era fallout shelter

Looking down into the hatch, some of the steps have crumbled and fallen down into the Cold War-era fallout shelter

Reddit user John Sims climbed down into the fallout shelter he found in his backyard after using a metal detector to locate it

Reddit user John Sims climbed down into the fallout shelter he found in his backyard after using a metal detector to locate it

The fallout shelter was made out of concrete and had a domed fiberglass ceiling, Reddit user John Sims said

The fallout shelter was made out of concrete and had a domed fiberglass ceiling, Reddit user John Sims said

Reddit user John Sims found the shelter empty of furniture and supplies, but said he is planning to restore the space to its 'original glory'

Reddit user John Sims found the shelter empty of furniture and supplies, but said he is planning to restore the space to its 'original glory'

Sims said he found a rough drawing of the shelter through 'city records' and that he used the drawing, as well as a metal detector, to locate the shelter.

According to Sims, the shelter was empty of furniture and equipment when he entered it. 

The shelter was built out of concrete with a fiberglass dome, and appeared to have been deliberately closed off, he said.

Sims said he plans to restore the bunker to its 'original glory.'

The fallout shelter, viewed from the side (top) and from above (bottom), in drawings obtained by Reddit user John Sims

The fallout shelter, viewed from the side (top) and from above (bottom), in drawings obtained by Reddit user John Sims

The Cold War hit close to home in the Tucson area, where between the 1960s and the 1980s eighteen intercontinental ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads were deployed in the Sonora desert around the city, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

The missiles were capable of reaching their targets, which were presumed to be locations in the Soviet Union, in just 25 minutes.

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