HAZMAT crews were called to Wollongong City Council’s Burelli Street headquarters on Monday morning after an envelope containing an unknown powder was delivered to the premises.
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A council spokesman told the Mercury an envelope posted to the building was deemed suspicious about 8.15am, and emergency services were called.
Inspector Jim Fryday from Wollongong police said the envelope contained a grit or powder, and ‘‘white powder’’ procedures – most commonly used for suspected anthrax incidents – were put in place. The letter has now been sent to a Sydney laboratory for analysis.
‘‘It seemed to have grit inside. The envelope was not opened, so we can’t identify what’s in it, so the white-powder protocols were in place for safety reasons,’’ Inspector Fryday said. ‘‘It’s now off to the lab to be tested.’’
The package was found on level three of the building.
‘‘Staff were restricted from accessing the level as part of our emergency response procedures,’’ the council spokesman said.
Fire & Rescue NSW Inspector Brad Smith said several people were evacuated from the building.
‘‘Fire & Rescue crews were able to remove the letter and hand it over to police for forensic testing.
‘‘As a precaution, there was a partial evacuation of the immediate area, but only of a minor nature,’’ he said.
‘‘There is some speculation as to what’s in it, but there was material in there that wasn’t consistent with a business letter.’’
