Updated story Oct. 11, 2013 at 5:15
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Updated story Oct. 11, 2013 at 4:15
Officials now say there was no threat from a suspicious white powder found in a package at the State Office Building in Juneau on Friday.
The incident prompted the building to be evacuated shortly after 10:00 a.m.
Juneau Fire Marshal Dan Jager says the FBI determined the substance was some sort of packing material.
“They were able to confirm with the company that was on the shipping label what it was,” Jager says. “And they were able to confirm that, yes, this company down south did send a box to that address, and it was a packaging material.”
FBI officials could not be reached for comment.
Governor Sean Parnell’s Spokeswoman Sharon Leighow says the package was sent by a pharmaceutical company from California and contained tax documents. Employees with the Department of Revenue on the 11th floor of the State Office Building opened it at about 9:45 a.m.
Leighow says four employees were thought to have been exposed to the substance.
The building was closed Friday while a hazmat team secured the package.
Leighow says it will re-open as usual on Monday.
Updated story Oct. 11, 2013 at 3:06
The Juneau State Office Building was evacuated this morning (Friday) after a package containing a suspicious white powder was found on the 11th floor.
Governor Sean Parnell’s Spokeswoman Sharon Leighow says employees with the Department of Revenue opened the package at about 9:45 a.m.
“At that time the Juneau fire department was called and the State Office Building was subsequently evacuated. Four people were exposed to the substance,” Leighow says. “The package was removed from the building. The FBI will be transporting the package to Anchorage and it will be delivered to the State Crime Lab, where it will be analyzed over the weekend.”
Leighow says the package had a California postmark, but she did not know any other details about where it originated and who it was sent to.
Capital City Fire and Rescue ordered the entire building be evacuated shortly after 10:00 a.m. Initially, employees were told to check the state website at 1 p.m. to see whether they should return to work. Shortly after 1 o’ clock, the state announced the building would remain closed for the rest of the day.
As of this afternoon (Friday), Leighow did not know when it would re-open.
“State employees are urged to check the state website over the weekend to find any updates that we may have,” she says.
The state website is www.alaska.gov. Employees can also call 1-877-326-5551 for updates on the building’s status.
Updated story Oct. 11, 2013 at 1:20 pm
State officials just posted a new notice on the state website about the State Office Building remaining closed for Friday afternoon through Sunday. State employees are being asked to check the website or call the closure phone line at 1-877-326-5551 before departing for work at the SOB on Monday.
Original story Oct. 11, 2013 at 11:00 am
The State Office Building in downtown Juneau has been evacuated for a report of a suspicious box with white powder that was opened on the 11th floor.
It’s unclear when the evacuation order was issued throughout the whole building on Friday morning. Some employees were still departing the SOB after 10 o’clock Friday morning.
Juneau Police Officers have set up a perimeter around the building.
Capital City Fire and Rescue crews have entered the building and a hazardous materials team is collecting samples.
State workers are being asked to check the state website at 1 o’clock for an announcement about whether they would be allowed to return to work for Friday afternoon.
(This is a developing story. Check back later for more details.)
From the Associated Press –
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The state office building in downtown Juneau has been evacuated.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Sean Parnell says employees on the building’s 11th floor opened a package Friday morning containing what she called suspicious white powder. Sharon Leighow says about half a cup of powder fell out when the package was opened, and she believed six employees were in the area when the package was opened.
She did not know who the package was addressed to and did not immediately know how many employees were evacuated. About 600 people work in the building.
She says Juneau police and fire personnel responded.
@Fire_2 At this time, the State Office Building is being evacuated as a precautionary measure.
— Rich Etheridge (@Fire_2) October 11, 2013
@Fire_2 Haz Mat Team is coordinating with the Law Enforcement on sample collection and is preparing to enter the space to collect samples.
— Rich Etheridge (@Fire_2) October 11, 2013
