Earlier today, a potential hazardous materials situation prompted an earnest response from Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue crews at a downtown business. As reported by Local 10 News, an employee on the 14th floor of a building on the 200 block of Las Olas Boulevard discovered a white powder in an envelope and consequently fell ill, alerting the authorities to a possible threat within the confines of the office space.
The scare, which began around 9:15 a.m. when an employee at the business located at 201 East Las Olas Blvd. reported the suspicious substance, led to the quarantine of those present in the suite while hazmat teams moved in to assess the potential danger, WSVN reports, and as the experts worked to discern the nature of the powdery substance, no lesser number of passersby and motorists found their routine interrupted, anticipating delays, as the investigation unfolded.
Subsequent investigation by the hazmat teams, however, determined that the substance was benign, as FLFR spokesperson Frank Guzman relayed, "Employees in the affected suite were quarantined and hazmat teams later determined that the substance was not harmful," assuaging fears of an immediate health hazard and signaling a return to normalcy for the disrupted workers, as detailed by Local10.
Guzman spoke further, clarifying that by 11 a.m., the scene garnering much onlooker and employee concern was being cleared, enabling a resumption of regular operations; nonetheless, the matter drew the attention of the FBI, which is now spearheading an investigation into the origins of the white powder, though no further information regarding the incident or the worker's condition beyond initial reports was immediately forthcoming.