FARR WEST -- A suspicious substance found at an Internal Revenue Service building here is not hazarous, an official with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said late Monday afternoon.
Spokesman Pete Rendina told The Associated Press the "matter was non-hazardous."
Two IRS workers were taken to an Ogden hospital after the suspicious substance was found Monday morning in the office building where they work, but officials said their medical emergencies did not appear to be related to the material.
The FBI's Salt Lake City division says it responded to a possible hazardous material threat at the building at 1973 Rulon White Blvd. around 11:15 a.m. Debbie Dujanovic Bertram, public affairs specialist for the FBI, declined to say what sort of substance was involved.
In a statement she said, "The area where the threat was received was isolated by removing employees from that area."
She said some individuals "did suffer medical emergencies which, at this time, do not appear to be related to this incident." Contacted by telephone, she declined to say what sort of medical emergencies were involved.
Craig Bielik, spokesman for Ogden Regional Medical Center, said two patients from the IRS building who "may have been exposed to some kind of substance" were brought to the hospital.
"We are decontaminating them and examining them right now and don't have any other information," Bielik said. "They're undergoing examination right now. They appear to be in good condition."
A spokesman for McKay-Dee Hospital Center said no patients were taken from the IRS to that hospital.
Weber Fire District Deputy Chief Paul Sullivan said the medical emergencies were coincidental to the discovery of the suspicious substance.
He said two people who already had medical issues happened to have episodes while authorities were on the scene and were treated. He said he could not release any additional information.
As of Monday afternoon, several emergency vehicles had left the scene. One hazardous materials response truck remained, along with one fire engine.
Security guards did not allow entrance to the building and declined to answer questions from news crews waiting on the street outside the fenced property. IRS employees leaving the property said they were instructed not to talk to media waiting outside.
"The FBI continues to investigate the incident along with its federal and local partners," Bertram said.
"The investigation continues and no further details can be released."SClBThe regional IRS office in Phoenix, Ariz., also issued a statement regarding the incident.
"At approximately 11:15 a.m. MST, we detected an unknown substance at the IRS Campus located at 1973 Rulon White Boulevard, Ogden," said IRS spokesman Bill Brunson. "A local Haz-Mat team was dispatched and standard procedures for responding to such an incident were implemented. At this point we cannot provide additional details because we are continuing to assess the situation."
Brunson said the Farr West facility processes paper tax returns filed by businesses. At its busiest times, the building has approximately 830 employees, including seasonal and part-time workers. He did not know how many IRS employees were in the building during this incident.
The IRS is a major employer in Weber County, with between 6,500 and 7,000 employees working in up to a dozen buildings. It has had a presence in the city since 1956, when a warehouse in Defense Depot Ogden was converted to office space to process returns from Western states.
Reporter Charles Trentelman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Updated 5:51 p.m.
The FBI's Salt Lake City division says it responded to a possible hazardous material threat at the building at 1973 Rulon White Blvd. around 11:15 a.m. Debbie Dujanovic Bertram, public affairs specialist for the FBI, declined to say what sort of substance was involved.
In a statement she said, "The area where the threat was received was isolated by removing employees from that area."
She said some individuals "did suffer medical emergencies which, at this time, do not appear to be related to this incident." Contacted by telephone, she declined to say what sort of medical emergencies were involved.
Craig Bielik, spokesman for Ogden Regional Medical Center, said two patients from the IRS building who "may have been exposed to some kind of substance" were brought to the hospital.
"We are decontaminating them and examining them right now and don't have any other information," Bielik said. "They're undergoing examination right now. They appear to be in good condition."
A spokesman for McKay-Dee Hospital Center said no patients were taken from the IRS to that hospital.
Weber Fire District Deputy Chief Paul Sullivan said the medical emergencies were coincidental to the discovery of the suspicious substance.
He said two people who already had medical issues happened to have episodes while authorities were on the scene and were treated. He said he could not release any additional information.
As of Monday afternoon, several emergency vehicles had left the scene. One hazardous materials response truck remained, along with one fire engine.
Security guards did not allow entrance to the building and declined to answer questions from news crews waiting on the street outside the fenced property. IRS employees leaving the property said they were instructed not to talk to media waiting outside.
"The FBI continues to investigate the incident along with its federal and local partners," Bertram said.
"The investigation continues and no further details can be released."SClBThe regional IRS office in Phoenix, Ariz., also issued a statement regarding the incident.
"At approximately 11:15 a.m. MST, we detected an unknown substance at the IRS Campus located at 1973 Rulon White Boulevard, Ogden," said IRS spokesman Bill Brunson. "A local Haz-Mat team was dispatched and standard procedures for responding to such an incident were implemented. At this point we cannot provide additional details because we are continuing to assess the situation."
Brunson said the Farr West facility processes paper tax returns filed by businesses. At its busiest times, the building has approximately 830 employees, including seasonal and part-time workers. He did not know how many IRS employees were in the building during this incident.
The IRS is a major employer in Weber County, with between 6,500 and 7,000 employees working in up to a dozen buildings. It has had a presence in the city since 1956, when a warehouse in Defense Depot Ogden was converted to office space to process returns from Western states.
Reporter Charles Trentelman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Updated 5:41 p.m.
Official: Substance at Utah IRS bldg not hazardous
The Associated Press
OGDEN — An official with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service says a suspicious substance found at an IRS building in Odgen, Utah, is not hazardous.
The FBI's Salt Lake City division said Monday that hazardous materials crews were called to the IRS building about 35 miles north of Salt Lake City to respond to a possible hazardous material threat.
Parts of the building were evacuated.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service national spokesman Pete Rendina told The Associated Press the "matter was non-hazardous."
The FBI says some people had medical emergencies but that they did not appear related to the incident.
Updated 4:54 p.m.
Haz mat crews called to IRS building
Standard-Examiner staff
FARR WEST -- Hazardous material crews were called to an Internal Revenue Service building at 1973 Rulon White Boulevard this morning.
Security guards did not allow entrance to the building and declined to answer questions.
At least three pieces of equipment from the Ogden Fire Department is on the scene.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was immediately called in to determine the extent of the hazard to employees and the facility. A spokeswoman issued this report at 3 p.m.
“The FBI Salt Lake City Division, in collaboration with Weber County Fire and Weber County Sheriff’s Office, responded this morning to a possible hazardous material threat at the IRS building in Farr West, Utah,” said the statement from Deborah Bertram of the Salt Lake City office. “The FBI continues to investigate the incident along with its federal and local partners. The area where the threat was received was isolated by removing employees from that area.”
Some IRS workers may have been affected by the incident, Bretram said.
“Some individuals did suffer medical emergencies which, at this time, do not appear to be related to this incident,” the statement said. “The investigation continues and no further details can be released.”
The regional IRS office in Phoenix, Ariz., also issued a statement regarding the incident.
“At approximately 11:15 a.m. MST, we detected an unknown substance at the IRS Campus located at 1973 Rulon White Boulevard, Ogden,” said IRS spokesman Bill Brunson. “A local Haz-Mat team was dispatched and standard procedures for responding to such an incident were implemented. At this point we cannot provide additional details because we are continuing to assess the situation.”
Brunson said the Farr West facility processes paper tax returns from businesses. At its busiest times, the building has approximately 830 employees, including seasonal and part-time workers. He did not know how many IRS employees were in the building during this incident.
Comments