BOISE -- The U.S. Attorney's Office in Boise was evacuated today while a Boise Fire Hazmat crew investigated a white, powdery substance that was discovered in an envelope.
The call went out after the envelope was opened in a sixth floor office at 800 Park Boulevard around 11:09 a.m.
Only about 20 employees in the U.S. Attorney's Office were evacuated because it is their office policy.
Other tenants throughout the building were alerted to the situation.
The Hazmat crew tested the powdery substance and determined it was not a threat. The U.S. Marshal's Office is handling the investigation.
Employees in the building have been allowed to return to work.
Similar situations occurred at other federal offices in the Pacific Northwest.
At an IRS office in Bellevue, Wash., two people were taken to the hospital as a precaution after a white powder was found in an envelope.
Homeland Security and the FBI are conducting a federal investigation into the matter.
A sample of the powder will be processed at the state crime lab.
Powder was also sent to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the Spokane FBI office.
All of the incidents are believed to be related, and an examination has determined that two of the letters contained a substance that is not dangerous.
