Huntington Beach City Hall Evacuated After 'Suspicious Package' Found

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The Huntington Beach City Hall was evacuated for a couple of hours Monday after an employee opened a suspicious package.

Police responded to the building at 2000 Main St. around 8:30 a.m.

An employee from the fire department administrative offices opened a package that had come from the mail-room and contacted authorities after seeing something suspicious inside. The item was then left in the stairwell.

"What they saw was a firework, firecracker-type devices and there was a substance," Huntington Beach Fire Marshal Bob Culhane said. "So what our hazardous material team is going to do is take a sample of that substance."

Around 300 to 400 employees were evacuated from the building.

Culhane told KNX1070's Mike Landa, the Orange County Bomb Squad will analyze the envelope at their crime lab to determine its purpose and origin, but the item was determined to be harmless.

Employees were allowed back into the building around 12:45 p.m.

In:
• Suspicious Package