A report of a “nuclear device” prompted authorities to evacuate a northwestern Columbus neighborhood.
Hazmat and bomb squad crews responded around 6 p.m. Thursday to a home in the Cranston and Riverside drives area, Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin told our media partner 10TV.com in Columbus.
In a 9-1-1 call, a man said he was working on a quantum physics generator in his garage and that he suffered radio-frequency burns. Fire officials said the words the man used in the call were “alpha waves and particle accelerator,” which led to concerns over radiation. However, crews found no signs of radiation on the man who called 9-1-1, first responders told 10TV.com.
About 40 residences were temporarily evacuated while crews investigated the man’s claims.
Hazmat crews checked the garage where the man said he had been working on the generator, and then bomb squad and an arson team were to investigate.
Fire officials said the man could have been working on a capacitator, and that they asked American Electric Power to inspect it.
Also, the man who called 9-1-1 will undergo mental evaluation at a hospital and officials plan to file inducing panic charges against him, 10TV.com reported.
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