A suspicious substance in an envelope mailed to a Southern California Edison office building in Irwindale prompted evacuations Thursday afternoon until it was determined it was only packing material.
Officers were called about 1:10 p.m. to the facility in the 6000 block of North Irwindale Avenue, according to Irwindale police Sgt. Rudy Gatto.
“On arrival, Irwindale police officers found a female SCE employee opened a letter addressed to the company as part of her regular job duties,” Gatto said. “When she did so, an unknown suspicious substance came out of the envelope and spilled onto the employee and her workstation.”
The woman’s superiors reported the matter to police and firefighters and evacuated the building’s approximately 40 employees, Gatto said.
“An additional 400 SCE employees working in separate buildings at the location sheltered-in-place, pending an investigation by emergency services,” Gatto said.
After an investigation by Irwindale police, the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Health Hazardous Materials Unit and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Hazmat Team, the substance was found to be “packing material fused inside the envelope that came loose when the envelope was opened,” Gatto said.
“There was no indication of a threat or criminal activity and there was of no danger to the public,” Gatto said, adding that all employees went back to work about 3:45 p.m.