West Virginia Post Office Evacuated After Reported Package Explosion

No powder detected

Authorities say a report of an exploding package and white powder at a West Virginia post office turned out to be just a malfunctioning fluorescent light bulb.

Firefighter and incident spokesman Ronald Fletcher says the ``pop'' heard by postal workers in the town of Ranson was the bulb exploding. He said the reported white powder was likely smoke from the broken light.

And a suspicious package in a storage locker turned out to contain only cookies.

The scare Friday morning triggered the evacuation and temporary quarantine of 15 people.

Fletcher says a robot sent into the building found no chemical agents in the air. Authorities then X-rayed the package in question.

Despite the six-hour disruption in operations, postal authorities said the mail would still be delivered Friday.

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Copyright AP - Associated Press
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