Canada Post employees who evacuated the Highbury mail processing facility will not be allowed back in to work until the company is satisfied that there are no more traces of a white powder that sent staff scurrying for the exits early Wednesday morning.
The drama unfolded when a suspicious package containing white powder was discovered at about 5 a.m.
The London Fire hazardous materials team arrived quickly after receiving the call to find that many employees had already left the building. Those who remained were told to leave.
In the immediate aftermath of the discovery, a group of about 15 employees were isolated because it was believed they had come dangerously close to the package.
As employees cooled their heels for almost nine hours outside the facility, firefighters conducted tests to find out exactly what the powder was and if it presented a health threat.
Eventually, they were joined by London Police, who arrived with a forensics truck and the explosive disposal unit because they have more sophisticated equipment.
“The tests we did established that it’s okay for the company to go in and clean up,” London Fire District Chief Wayne Brown said. “We established that it’s an organic compound of unknown origin, so it was sent to Toronto for analysis.”
Brown said the names of the group of employees who had been isolated were taken, but that only one woman was ever close enough to the powder to have been affected if it had been toxic.
Contrary to some media reports, a Canada Post spokesman said few staff would be allowed to re-enter the building until it gets fully cleaned.
“We’re bringing in the company we use for this sort of thing and we’re going to identify the substance and clean it up,” Eugene Knapik said. “For now, the facility is closed and we’re going to bypass it for tonight.”
Mail will be sorted elsewhere, he added, with minimal impact to customers.
The police explosive unit was in action only two days earlier when a suspicious package was left outside of police headquarters, closing down parts of Dundas and Adelaide streets for more than an hour.
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via The London Free Press.
