Fort Lauderdale hazmat team responds to ‘white powder scare’ after worker reports illness

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue crews responded to a possible hazmat incident at a business in Las Olas Wednesday morning, according to officials.

According to an FLFR spokesperson, an employee on the 14th floor of a building near the 200 block of Las Olas Boulevard reported finding white powder in an envelope and feeling unwell.

Employees in the affected suite were quarantined, and hazmat teams later determined the substance was not harmful, according to FLFR spokesman Frank Guzman.

Guzman said the scene was cleared as of 11 a.m. and employees were expected to return to their normal work.

He said the FBI is now investigating.

No additional details about the incident or the worker’s condition were immediately released.