LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A fire station in Lauderhill was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a woman walked into the building with "possible bomb-related materials," authorities confirmed.
According to officials with the Lauderhill Fire Department, the incident occurred at Fire Station 57 at 1980 NW 56th Ave.
Officials said a hazmat team was called to the building. Officials said 97 students and staff members from the nearby Royal Palm Elementary School, which runs an after-care program, were also placed on lockdown as a precaution.
"It's a schoolhouse right there, and a bunch of kids walk back and forth from there," Ray Williams, who lives nearby, said. "Like I said, she dropped it off in front of the fire department. Anybody could've been walking by. It could've went off. It could've actually hurt somebody."
According to Lauderhill police Maj. Bill Gordon, a woman brought in 5-gallon buckets of combustible materials that could be hazardous, including liquid glycerine, shaved magnesium and potassium.
Gordon said the woman's late husband was a Vietnam veteran. She apparently stumbled upon the items and decided to bring them to the fire station, not realizing how dangerous the chemicals are.
Gordon said anyone who comes across similar materials should not deal with the chemicals on their own but immediately call police or fire rescue.
He said the incident is not considered suspicious. Still, the FBI was called in to investigate the incident.