Glass container sparks concern at BLM

Explosives disposal technicians destroyed a glass container that might have held a volatile chemical at the federal Bureau of Land Management building on July 24, according to Anchorage police and fire officials.

The discovery caused the building, on BLM Road off Elmore Road, to be evacuated while experts dealt with the potentially dangerous chemical. Someone inside the building found a white crystallized substance inside a glass, quart-sized container in a chemical locker, said fire department spokesman Al Tamagni.

It was unclear exactly what was in the container or if it was actually dangerous, Tamagni said. The container had no label, so building staff and firefighters decided it should not be moved, Tamagni said.

Firefighters called in experts with the Anchorage Police Department who are trained to deal with chemicals and explosives, said police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker.

“They weren’t sure exactly what it was,” Parker said. “Some things you want to get rid of in place. Out of an abundance of caution, they blew it up.”

—Casey Grove, Anchorage Daily News