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Suspicious Package Forces Evacuation Of Federal Building

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TBO.com

Published: January 15, 2009

Updated: 01/15/2009 10:17 pm

TAMPA - A federal office building near Westshore Plaza was evacuated Thursday afternoon when a suspicious package was found in the mailroom, authorities say.

Seventy-five people working in the building, which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services workers, were evacuated about 1:45 p.m., Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said in a written statement.

Pinellas County Jail officials also dealt with possible contamination when 15 prisoners from the ICE offices were booked at the jail Thursday afternoon.

A hazardous materials team checked the mailroom and the six people inside where the white powdery substance was found. As a safety measure, the six people were asked to remove their clothing, take showers and dress in paper suits provided by the hazmat team, Wade said.

They were treated by emergency personnel and chose not to go to the hospital. No other injuries were reported.

The hazmat team took samples of the substance, which was then sent to a local lab for analysis. FBI agents are investigating the incident at 5524 W. Cypress St., Wade said.

The offices were closed for the remainder of the day. If lab results indicate the substance is harmful, federal authorities plan to take further action and contact affected workers, Wade said.

If lab results are negative, the building will resume normal hours this morning.

The Pinellas County Jail's booking area was on lockdown for about three hours after the ICE inmates were taken there at 4:30 p.m., sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said in a written statement.

Law enforcement officials bringing in other arrestees were asked to go to a different booking area or told to stand by, Pasha said.

The booking area was reopened about 8:30 p.m.

The 15 ICE inmates, along with nine others and four jail staff members, went through a decontamination process which included showering and changing clothes, Pasha said.

Jail officials are waiting on the lab results before taking further action.

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