A Florida fire station was evacuated Tuesday after a woman brought a bucket filled with materials that could be used to make a bomb.
The woman had been going through her late husband's belongings when she found a 5-gallon bucket filled with liquid glycerin, potassium nitrate and shaved magnesium—all substances that could be used in making a bomb, the Miami Herald reports. She then took her discovery to Lauderhill Fire Department's Station No. 57 to try to dispose of the bucket's contents.
Once she arrived at the station, firefighters identified the materials and evacuated the station. Nearby Royal Palm Elementary School also was put on lockdown, according to the department.
A Broward County Sheriff's Office hazardous materials team eventually was called in. Footage from a WFOR-TV helicopter showed a bomb disposal robot going into the station in order to safely separate the materials.
“There was no threat at all,” Lauderhill police Maj. William Gordon told the Herald. “The concern is if the materials mix it could be dangerous.”
According to the woman, her husband had been a Vietnam War veteran, and she brought the bucket to the fire station because she didn't know what to do with the materials. She also had tried to bring the bucket to three other Broward County fire stations, but she was unable to contact anyone at those locations, WFOR reports.
At around 5:15 p.m., students at Royal Palm Elementary were being released to their parents at the back of the school, according to the department.
