Five "suspicious packages" that turned out to be nothing more than boxes full of office supplies forced the evacuation of 1,500 personnel from NORAD on Thursday.
The packages were found in the morning at the Eberhardt-Findley Building which is home to some North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) facilities located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. NORAD personnel said the packages seemed "out of place", KKTV reports, forcing a five-hour evacuation until investigators determined the nature of the contents inside.
The northern gate of the base was closed and security was increased at base facilities as investigators arrived on the scene. A 500-foot safety zone was created around the packages as military investigators and bomb-sniffing dogs determined there was no WMD threat.
"Preliminary test results of the package indicated that there is not a positive test for a nuclear, biological or chemical element contained within the package," a statement released by the Air Force said during the ongoing investigation.
The packages were then removed from the base and it was later determined they were full of office supplies, reports say.
Officials say NORAD's operations were not disturbed because of the incident adding that the defense organization's headquarter is located in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
