Breaking news: 8th Ave NW blocked off at NW Market St due to HAZMAT situtation

4:05 p.m.

SPD Detective Jeff Kappel confirmed that the SFD Hazmat team responded to a 911 call from employees at Rain City video store near the Shell Station on 8th Ave NW. The employees called 911 to report a suspicious package of white powder that was found in a DVD case. Check out the SPD Blotter post below for more information:

Powder, not the movie, caused a scare at a Ballard video store this morning.

At approximately 11:28 a.m. officers and the fire department’s hazardous material (HAZMAT) team responded to the 700 block of NW Market Street for a 911 report of a suspicious substance. Preliminary investigation indicates that employees at a video store opened a DVD case and found a baggie with suspicious white powder in it. Officers cordoned off the area and temporarily shut down 8th Avenue NW between 54th and Market Street to all pedestrian and vehicular traffic while the HAZMAT team thoroughly examined the substance.

Once the substance was determined to be harmless, all traffic was re-opened.

Investigating officers took custody of the substance and booked it into evidence for further forensic examination and identification.

1: 45 p.m.

The SPD twitter feed just released the following statement:

Hazardous materials/suspicious substance incident in 700 blk of NW Market St is over. Units are clear and the road is open.

SPD media hotline representatives confirmed that the road block has just been cleared and that there was no further information to report at this stage. We will update readers when the SPD report about the incident becomes available later this afternoon.

1: 00 p.m.

SPD released the following statement on their twitter feed:

Officers have blocked off 8th Ave NW south of Mkt. Street as police/fire investigate a hazmat situation. Powder in an envelope. No injuries.

12:20 p.m.

Multiple readers have emailed in to report the closure of 8th Ave NW at NW Market St. Readers have reported multiple police cars and fire trucks.

“I was just driving south on 8th and had to be detoured due to an unusually large police and fire response to the block between 54th and Market on 8th. I saw at least three fire trucks and maybe about 8 police cars,” wrote reader April Brown.

According to the SPD Crime Map (see image), the SFD are responding to a hazmat situation.

We are investigating as we speak and will update readers with photos and information as soon as possible.