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A white, powdery substance that was found in the West Wing of the White House is undergoing further testing after causing a temporary evacuation. File Photo by Julia Nikhinson/UPI | License Photo
July 4 (UPI) — A white, powdery substance that was found in the West Wing of the White House, prompting a brief evacuation late Sunday, is non-hazardous, the Secret Service said.
The discovery of the substance led to a temporary evacuation of the building. It has since been determined to be non-hazardous, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi announced Tuesday.
The substance was discovered by Uniformed Division Officers. A hazmat unit and the fire department were among the first responders.
“UPDATE – Precautionary closures will be lifted soon as DC Fire has cleared the unknown item as non-hazardous,” Guglielmi tweeted. “Thank you to the #SecretService Uniformed Division for your vigilance & to @dcfireems @DCPoliceDept for your unwavering partnership.”
The Washington Post, citing two officials familiar with the matter and recordings of fire crew dispatches, reported that an initial test of the substance found it to be cocaine.
The newspaper quoted a D.C. firefighter who said in a radio dispatch after performing a field test, “We have a yellow bar saying cocaine hydrochloride.”
The amount of the substance found was described as small.
President Joe Biden was not in the White House at the time of the incident. He was at Camp David in Maryland for the weekend.
The White House has not commented on the incident.
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