Contact: Jessica Greene, Public Safety Specialist, Marion County Fire Rescue
Office: 352-291-8094 ▪ Cell: 352-572-5191 ▪ Email: jessica.greene@marioncountyfl.org
MCFR HAZMAT CREW RESPONDS TO NINE SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE CALLS
Three tested packages revealed contents of artificial sweetener
Immediate Release
MARION COUNTY, Fla. (June 10, 2014) – Marion County Fire Rescue worked with Ocala Fire Rescue and cooperated with the Ocala Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office regarding suspicious envelopes received at Lake Weir High School, the Marion County Judicial Center, Forest High School, West Port High School, Hillcrest School, the Ocala Star Banner, the Elks Lodge, Belleview High School and Blessed Trinity complex.
MCFR’s Shady Station 16 Hazmat Team responded to the suspicious package call at Lake Weir High School at 11:04 a.m. The crew used specialized monitors to rule out biological, explosive, chemical and radiological agents and determined the substance inside the green envelope to be an artificial sweetener. One school employee was evaluated, but did not require treatment for symptoms related to hazardous materials exposure.
Afterwards, MCFR’s Hazmat crew responded to the Marion County Courthouse, which had been secured by Ocala Fire Rescue and the Ocala Police Department. There they repeated the process and determined the suspicious substance to be artificial sweetener as well. Six courthouse employees who were in the vicinity of the opened envelope were quarantined and, upon MCFR’s arrival, evaluated. No one was injured or treated for symptoms related to hazardous materials exposure.
Next, MCFR’s Hazmat crew and law enforcement responded to the Ocala Star Banner, which evacuated employees for their safety. This envelope contained artificial sweetener as well.
Envelopes received at Lake Weir High School, the Marion County Court House and the Ocala Star Banner were all green. MCFR’s Hazmat crew will test packages at all other locations, which have been secured by law enforcement and fire rescue units. Samples from each package will then be sent to the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories in Jacksonville for further testing.
The Ocala Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a criminal investigation of these incidents, which were reported within a three-hour period between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
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