MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle federal building evacuated over ‘suspicious envelope’

Aug 7, 2013, 12:00 PM | Updated: 1:17 pm

A single floor of the Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle had to be evacuated Wednesday af...

A single floor of the Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle had to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a suspicious envelope was found on a drinking fountain. (KIRO Radio/Brandi Kruse)

(KIRO Radio/Brandi Kruse)

A single floor of the Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle had to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a suspicious envelope was found on a drinking fountain.

The envelope was left in the fourth floor lobby, which is the ground-level floor along Second Avenue at Madison Street.

The Seattle Fire Department was called to the scene at 10:01 a.m. and occupants on other floors were told to “shelter in place.”

Kyle Moore, a fire department spokesperson, said the envelope tested negative for explosives and chemical substances.

The building was reopened to the public around 12:25 p.m.

The Department of Homeland Security will take over the investigation to determine who the envelope belonged to.

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Seattle federal building evacuated over ‘suspicious envelope’