Update: Suspicious Package At New Hampshire Department Of Education Was 'No Threat'

CONCORD, NH — The state Department of Education office in Concord was evacuated Wednesday due to a “white powder incident” in the building.

Concord police were sent to the Granite State College building at 25 Hall St. at 4:30 p.m. for a report of a suspicious package with white powder inside that employees were exposed to, according to police dispatch. Dispatch also sent fire and rescue teams, and a county sheriff employee, hearing the call, also arrived to assist.

The building was evacuated while police spoke to employees. During the investigation, police and firefighters learned an employee was opening mail when they became exposed to the powder. Two others were reportedly exposed to the powder during the incident.

Concord fire command requested the hazmat unit while police sealed the building and parking lot and confirmed no employees were left inside.

Police ran checks of the names on the package, which had a return address from Providence, Rhode Island, according to scanner chatter. The package was initially addressed to Pleasant Street — the former location of the DOE and also had a second Pleasant Street address.

At around 6 p.m., Concord firefighters prepared the hazmat unit to examine the package and powder. An officer also attempted to speak to a possible suspect connected to the package on the city's West Side.

Firefighters, police, and New Hampshire State Police troopers cleared the incident just before 7:30 p.m.

According to Amber Lagace, a public information officer for state police, the case was a false alarm.

“After a collaborative investigation with law enforcement partners,” she said, “it was determined that there was no threat, and this was simply an incident of mail being delivered to the wrong address.”

The owner of the package was contacted and the situation was cleared up, she said.

The department was relocated to the Granite State College building while Lonergan Hall's former office at the Gallen State Office Complex was renovated. During renovations, asbestos and other hazardous materials were found, prompting the state to request funds to purchase the Hall Street building from the state university system as a permanent office for the DOE.

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