Evacuated Huntington Beach City Hall reopens after scare
Huntington Beach City Hall reopened midday Monday after an evacuation caused by a suspicious package.
After examining an envelope containing what appeared to be a firecracker and a sandy substance, the bomb squad and hazardous materials team gave evacuated employees the OK to return to work, according to Fire Capt. Bob Culhane.
The envelope was delivered about 8:30 a.m. to a Fire Department office on the fifth floor of City Hall at 2000 Main St.
A concerned worker who opened the envelope placed it in a stairwell and called authorities, according to Culhane.
City Hall’s 300 or so workers were quickly evacuated.
Employees were given an early lunch and asked to return by 1:30 p.m., according to city spokeswoman Laurie Frymire.
Huntington Beach High School, which is across the street, was placed on a precautionarylockdown but received police authorization to resume normal activity, Culhane said.
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anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
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