The Associated Press
RANSON, W.Va. — 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.