Residents return after hazmat evacuation near University of Minnesota
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Updated 9:40 p.m. | Posted 5:22 p.m.
Hundreds of residents are being allowed to return to an apartment building near the University of Minnesota hours after it was evacuated because of a suspected hazardous materials incident.
Authorities say the evacuation Tuesday in the Dinkytown area involves an "unconfirmed report of ricin," a deadly toxin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans, but it "would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people."
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
A hazmat team neutralized the area and the one apartment in question is being quarantined and guarded by the Minneapolis Police Department overnight, Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder said in a statement Tuesday evening. The team secured the substance and transported it to the Minnesota Health Laboratory.
Fire crews arrived shortly after 4 p.m. and evacuated The Marshall, a building that caters to students, and sealed off the area.
An investigation and cleanup continue Tuesday night, Elder said.
A woman took herself to a hospital.
