Suspicious Package Causes Alarm at Williams College
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The discovery of a package dusted with white powder on the loading dock of Baxter Hall at Williams College forced the closing of that building Tuesday morning.
The discovery launched an investigation by emergency personnel, including the District Five HazMat Team from Pittsfield, as well as the Williamstown Police and Fire departments. The building is expected to reopen this morning, Wednesday, after a precautionary but thorough cleaning, according to college spokesman James Kolesar.
"It's also being tested," said Kolesar. "It's good to be careful these days."
"People saw something suspicious so they called authorities," he said. "There's no reason to think anybody's in any danger."
According to a release from Williamstown Chief of Police Arthur A. Parker Jr., the white powder on the package was explained as probably baking soda or a similar compound that had been used to clean up a spill at a Fed Ex warehouse in New York on Monday night. That, according to a Fed Ex employee contacted, was the probable source of the white powder.
But the package arrived after nationwide reports of at least a dozen mailings of a powdered substance in envelopes, mostly to media, and some cases of anthrax, one fatal, elsewhere in the country. And these mailings and anthrax follow, but may not be connected, to last month's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The package was delivered by Fed Ex, but when it was discovered, the driver had left the area, according to the police account. The department was notified by Williams College Security at 9:37 a.m., prompting the Williamstown Police and Fire departments, and Village Ambulance to arrive on the scene.
After an initial investigation, local departments sought a Tier One Hazardous Materials response. During the HazMat Team response, the driver of the Fed Ex truck was located, and people who had been in contact with the package were isolated.
At this point, investigators learned from Fed Ex about the spill on Monday, the use of baking soda or a similar compound for cleanup, and thus the probable source of the white powder on the package. But, police said, an attempt to identify the power on the package at the scene was inconclusive.
The District Five HazMat team from Pittsfield secured the package, which has been sent to the Department of Public Health Laboratories in Jamaica Plain, Boston, for analysis. DPH will notify Williamstown police once the substance is identified.
Williamstown Police and Fire departments, Village Ambulance, town of Williamstown Department of Inspection Services, the District Five HazMat Team, Williams College Security, College Facilities Management, and others worked cooperatively during the event, according to the Police Department release. The college thanked all who responded so quickly and professionally to the situation.
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