The Rosemont Post Office and several nearby buildings were evacuated for about 90 minutes Monday until investigators determined that a “white granular oily substance” leaking from a package from Colombia was not harmful.
The post office at 6153 N. Gage St., along with several shops and a six-unit apartment building, were evacuated at 11:12 a.m. after a postal employee discovered an incoming international package leaking the substance, police said. Police were uncertain how many people were evacuated.
The Cook County sheriff’s K-9 and bomb units examined the medium-size package and determined it was safe. The evacuations ended at 12:41 p.m., police said.
“It was an odd combination of liquid and powder,” said Rosemont Police Lt. Kieran Mackey, adding that police don’t know what the substance was. “When it comes in international, the post office is on heightened alert.”
