Apartment complex re-opened after hazmat evacuation
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A Minneapolis apartment complex evacuated Tuesday afternoon because of concern about a possible hazardous material is being re-opened after authorities determined there was no danger to the public, a police spokesman said.
John Elder said that as a precaution police will guard overnight the one apartment where the report of a substance originated. But he said police have not yet heard back the results of testing on the substance.
"We don't know what it is," he said.
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The Minneapolis Fire Department tweeted that the evacuation Tuesday involved an "unconfirmed report of ricin," a poison found naturally in castor beans.
Minneapolis police and fire crews responded around 4 p.m. to a medical situation possibly caused by a hazardous material in an apartment. Elder said first responders learned the victim had gone to a hospital, and emergency crews began evacuating the building.
A hazmat team entered the building, found the substance and took it to the Minnesota Health Laboratory for identification.
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Fire crews evacuated The Marshall, an apartment complex that caters to students, and sealed off the area.
Authorities believe the possible contamination was limited to one apartment.