The old Customs House at 721 19th St. has been evacuated after occupants of the federal building reported finding a suspicious white powder, but officials say the powder is not dangerous.
Both a response team from the FBI and the Denver Fire Department went to the scene this afternoon, and many of the streets around the Customs House were blocked off.
The building houses a federal bankruptcy court and five other government entities with a total of about 650 employees.
Alex Paez, a Denver Fire Department spokesman said the substance was found on the fourth floor of the building. It has since been removed.
He said the powder had not been identified but that officials had determined that it was not hazardous.
About 300 workers have been evacuated from the building, Paez said.
Paez said authorities were trying to get the streets around the building back to normal in time for the evening rush hour.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
