Authorities reopen streets after 'credible bomb threat' near fire hall in Superior, Wis.
Updated: 3:20 p.m.
Fire and police officials closed several blocks of a major road in Superior, Wis., Tuesday because of what they called a "credible bomb threat."
On Tuesday morning, a citizen reported seeing an object that officials said appeared to be a potential homemade explosive device on the sidewalk outside the Superior Fire Department Headquarters on Tower Avenue. Law enforcement closed a stretch of Tower Avenue, which is also Wisconsin Highway 35, and evacuated the fire hall and a nearby dentist's office.
By 2:15 p.m., Superior Mayor Jim Paine had posted a Facebook update that “all roads in the city of Superior are open. The device has been removed from Tower Avenue.”
Police said an advance member of the Marathon-Oneida County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, based around Wausau, Wis. — along with FBI officers based in Eau Claire, Wis., and Duluth — responded to the incident. With the help of a police robot, officials determined that the object was “an inactive device” and reopened the street.
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Police said the device, which was shaped like a pipe and about a foot long, contained a grainy residue, and is being sent to a crime lab for testing.
“This is a pipe-shaped object that’s sealed on one end, [and] has the potential of having a fuse on the other end,” said Superior Police Chief Nick Alexander, “so, I think it’s reasonable for an average person to look at this device and say, ‘Hey, that could be explosive.’”
Alexander said early Tuesday that it was important to take precautions to treat the device as dangerous, even if it later it would be proven otherwise.
“We certainly can tell from what we see right now, that it has the appearance of something that could be an improvised device,” Alexander said. “Whether it is or not, that will be determined later. It’s important in the beginning to treat it as if it is, and then go from there.”
Police positioned two armored vehicles around the object and asked residents to stay clear of the area while they determined whether or not it posed a risk.
Police said they searched the area nearby and found no other suspicious items. The Superior Police Department is investigating the incident.