SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspicious powder found in a Santa Ana federal building caused a temporary panic and hazmat lockdown, but officials later determined the substance was not dangerous.
The powder was found shortly after 2 p.m. on the third floor of the federal building in Santa Ana's civic center complex.
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Four employees who were exposed to the powder were treated to decontamination procedures and transported to a local hospital as a precaution while officials locked down the building's third floor and told people on other floors to shelter in place.
But about two-and-a-half hours after the first report, officials said all tests for dangerous substances came back negative. The lockdown was being lifted.
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During the lockdown, while the substance was still being tested, officials said they were being extra cautious because it is a federal building.
"We don't know what it is," said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito. "Obviously because this is a federal building, it's heightened awareness. So we're taking all the precautions we possibly can."