White Powder Draws Hazmat Response to Minn. Gov`s Home

June 02--The state Health Department will test white powder found in a letter opened Monday at the governor's residence to try to determine what it is, the Minnesota State Patrol said.

Staff at Gov. Mark Dayton's residence on Summit Avenue in St. Paul opened the letter. The letter's content was non-threatening, State Patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske said, but he didn't have information about its subject.

The letter was processed at a building behind the governor's residence, and a small amount of white powder was found.

"The governor was in the main residence at the time, not in close proximity to the letter," the Minnesota Public Safety Department said in a statement. "The letter posed no threat to the governor."

The St. Paul Fire Department was called at 12:43 p.m., and about 30 emergency responders were sent, said Deputy Fire Chief Tom McDonough, who is in charge of special operations.

The St. Paul fire hazardous-material team quarantined and decontaminated two of the governor's staff members as a precaution, McDonough said. Decontamination involves washing people down with water, he said. Fire department paramedics evaluated the staffers and they were allowed to leave, the fire department said.

The fire department did some testing on the powder, but hadn't determined whether it was a biological or hazardous agent, McDonough said. The powder will be sent to the Minnesota Department of Health for more detailed evaluation, and it can take three to five days to get an answer, he said.

Roeske said he didn't have information about who sent the letter.

"Obviously, in today's day and age we have to take every precaution and look into it and try to determine what it may possibly be," he said.

Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262. Follow her at twitter.com/MaraGottfried.

Copyright 2014 - Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.