Hazmat team called to Ohio BCI headquarters

LONDON, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation called a hazmat team Friday afternoon to its headquarters after receiving a suspicious package.

Attorney General Dave Yost's office confirmed the building in London was "following our protocol to handle it" after getting a package in its mailroom. BCI employees sealed the package in a vault and requested both the Central Townships Joint Fire District and the Columbus Division of Fire to come to London for a hazard response.

A photo taken at the scene showed members of the Columbus Division of Fire's Hazardous Materials Support Unit setting up equipment and wearing hazmat suits outside of the headquarters, located at 1560 OH-56. The package contained a powdery substance, but it turned out to not be hazardous, according to Central Townships Join Fire District Chief Brian Bennington.

Someone had sent the package to Ohio BCI headquarters because they thought the agency could perform testing on the substance for them, Bennington said. Emergency responders began clearing the scene around 3 p.m.