Fire department contamination experts found nothing during a sweep for hazardous materials in two floors of federal offices downtown after three people went to the hospital with allergy-like symptoms this morning.
Firefighters ordered the evacuation of the 22nd and 23rd floors of 1670 Broadway shortly after 9 a.m. today after police notified them of a suspicious package containing either a powder or an odor of some kind, they said. The ventilation system to the two floors was turned off, as well, according to the fire department.
A dozen firefighters in bulky moon suits with bright orange rubber boots entered the building and swept the two floors, looking for any signs of radiation or “volatile organic compounds”, colloquially referred to as proteins, but found nothing, according to Lt. Darwin Neiman, head of the Denver Fire Department’s hazardous materials team.
Neiman said the package, a UPS box containing real estate leases, did not contain any powder or substance that was visible to the naked eye. Because of the contamination suits worn by firefighters, no odor could be detected. He said the package was bagged and sealed, then turned over to federal investigators because the offices were leased by the federal government. The FBI arrived on the scene but was unavailable to comment.
No one could confirm the time-line of events, but various witnesses, including HUD employees, said the suspicious package was delivered to the 23rd floor Thursday afternoon. No one could identify the sender or the recipient of the package.
A female office worker, whose position was unclear, complained Thursday evening of allergy-like symptoms of watery, red eyes and irritated sinuses. When she returned to work today, the symptoms became stronger, so she drove herself to a local hospital, which firefighters could not identify.
Some time after its arrival, the package was transferred down to the 22nd floor, during which two more office workers complained of similar symptoms. The Federal Protective Police were called, who notified Denver police, who notified the fire department about the situation.
The two office workers were transported by ambulance to Denver Health Medical Center, according to fire department spokeswoman Technician Heather Green. Their conditions are unknown, as is the condition of the earlier worker.
Lt. Neiman said the two floors have been released back to HUD. A private engineering firm was contracted to monitor the air, he said.
