Mysterious Package Causes Hazmat Situation At Mall Of GA

BUFORD, GA – A mysterious package caused firefighters to evacuate Dillard's Mall of Georgia customers Thursday afternoon, according to the Gwinnett County Fire Department.

When Firefighters responded at 11:55 a.m. to a report of a possible hazmat incident, an employee said that a package was delivered to the store, and it was unknown where it came from or what the contents might be. Firefighters evacuated the store’s main-level and called for the fire department’s Hazardous Materials Team and the police department’s Hazardous Devices Unit to respond.

Additional information indicated that the package had been inside the store since yesterday and was located in the back at the gift wrap section. The bag was labeled for a female employee of the store, who opened the package Wednesday afternoon and then set it aside. The woman went about the rest of her workday before going home. At some point late Wednesday evening, the woman became ill and was transported by ambulance to the hospital. On Thursday, a coworker alerted the store manager and 911 was called.

(For more news like this, sign up for Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Buford — or other neighborhoods. Access Patch on the go with our iPhone app or our brand new app for Android phone users.)

Firefighters and police officers specially trained to identify and handle hazardous materials were able to enter the store and conduct tests on the contents of the package. The items were determined to be commercially packaged products and were non-hazardous. Based on the circumstances, the illness of the employee is not believed to be related to the situation involving the package.

According to fire officials, two employees who were on the second floor this afternoon were evaluated at the scene by paramedics for a minor complaint that was believed to be unrelated to the incident. Firefighters cleared the scene around 2 p.m., and the building was reoccupied. The scene was turned over to Gwinnett County Police for further investigation.

The Fire-PIO is unable to identify the employee or provide specific medical information due to Federal Patient Privacy Laws known as HIPAA.

Equipment on the scene included: one engine, one hazmat unit, two squads, two medic units, one ladder truck, one battalion chief, one district commander, one medic supervisor and two fire investigators.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Fire Department