The United States Postal Service Office at 1540 South 8th St. was briefly evacuated due to an unknown substance found in a shipping box Wednesday morning.
A postal employee heard a hissing sound from within the box just before 7 a.m., then a yellow powder came out, irritating the employee’s skin.
Colorado Springs Police and the Colorado Springs Fire Department responded and evacuated the building while the hazmat team examined the contents of the box.
After contacting the person who ordered the box, it was determined to be the contents of a fire extinguisher which they ordered through an online vendor. Hazmat personnel found that the fire extinguisher deployed some of its contents during transport, which is what the substance was.
The fire department deemed the building safe by 8 a.m. and allowed postal personnel to resume normal work activities.
